


Jewel of the Hellmouth

by dbw



Series: The Emerald Tablet [3]
Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-26
Updated: 2009-11-26
Packaged: 2017-10-03 19:07:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dbw/pseuds/dbw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part Three and Conclusion of The Emerald Tablet (sequel to Heart and Souls).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted December 1999

Buffy sat on a headstone and idly kicked her feet back and forth. For once she wasn't sorry that the vampires didn't seem to want to come out and play. She couldn't shake the exhaustion that had plagued her since she wokaye from the spell Willow and the others had used to save her. It was a good thing she wasn't facing a fang gang on her own right now, she thought.

A twig snapped behind her. She flipped backward off the headstone and whirled, stake in hand ready to dust the unlucky vampire trying to sneak up on her.

"Whoa, Buff! It's just me!" Xander held up his hands and backed up a few steps.

"Xander! Say something when you're sneaking up on me. I could have hurt you." Buffy slipped the stake up her sleeve. "What are you doing here anyway? Is Giles okay? Did you guys find something?"

"Giles is fine. He thinks he may have a lead on your demon, but he's not positive. Nothing yet on the Emerald or that Hammer thing."

She frowned at him. "So, why are you out here?"

He looked uncomfortable. "We were all kind of worried about you. I got elected to find you and see how you're doing."

"Uh-huh, elected," she said dryly and raised her eyebrows. "And getting out of researching didn't have anything to do with it?"

"Yeah, well, I volunteered, okay?" Xander shrugged sheepishly. "But, we were all worried about you."

"Well, stop it. This is officially a worry free zone." She glanced around the cemetery. "There's absolutely nothing happening here. C'mon. Let's go back to Giles'."

They walked along in companionable silence though she could feel Xander's gaze on her. Finally she stopped and waited for him to turn around.

"What's with you?" she asked.

"Um."

"Good, Xander. You've mastered the single syllable nonsense sentence. Let's try for actual words now." She said softly.

Xander grimaced. "Okay. I need to tell you something and I don't know how to do it without either hurting you or making you mad. Either of which could mean major bodily harm for me."

She looked at him seriously. "Whatever it is, just say it. I promise not to hurt you."

"Thanks," he said dryly. "I'll hold you to that." He took a deep breath. "It's about Angel."

She gripped his arm. "What about Angel?"

"Willow's been in contact with him over email."

"Oh." Buffy dropped her hand. "Is that all?"

He frowned. "Is that all? You're not upset?"

A smile played across her lips. "Do you want me to be? I'm sure I can work up a nice snit if you'd like. Is there more?"

"No and yes." He blinked rapidly and said, "Angel's in L.A."

"I know."

"You know? What d'you mean, you know? How long have you known?" He sounded outraged.

"Since last July. He sent me a postcard to let me know where he was in case I ever needed to contact him. I haven't." She shrugged.

"Oh great. And here we've been jumping through Cheerios to keep from letting you know, thinking we were doing the great and noble." He let his disgust show on his face. "Willow's been exchanging email with Angel since around last October. We coulda just told you about it and been done with it."

She looked up at him curiously. "Why did you guys think you had to hide this?"

Xander fidgeted and looked away. "Well, it's just that we thought it might be painful for you to know. What with everything."

"Xander," Buffy said seriously, "I do care about Angel. I probably always will. But I'm not in love with him. I haven't been for a long time. As confusing as it was for me last year, Angel's leaving was the right thing for him to do. For both of us. It doesn't have the power to hurt me anymore. I've moved on and I hope he has too."

"So, you're okay with this? Not mad?" He looked perplexed.

She couldn't help it. She doubled over with laughter. She grasped his arm to keep her balance and once she could gasp out the words she said, "Your face! I'm sorry, Xander, but the look on your face was too much!" She shook her head. "No, I'm not mad. God, did you really think I'd go Psycho on you?"

Xander looked pained. "I don't know. I guess we sort of did, in a we're your friends and just looking out for you kind of way."

She nodded and then looked at him curiously. "So, if you guys have been keeping this a secret all this time, why are you telling me now?"

"Oh. Well, you know that contact Giles has been talking about?"

"It's Angel?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah. Willow told Giles about the email thing with Dead Boy after you were unconscious and we couldn't find anything to help. Giles didn't like it, but he told her to send him a picture of the dagger. See Angel's kind of got this Magnum, PI thing going. He works with some guy named Doyle, and, uh, Cordelia."

"Cordelia?" Buffy shook her head. "Do I want to know how that happened?"

"Probably not," Xander said dryly. "Anyway, I guess they specialize in helping people in trouble. Not just any kind of trouble, but trouble of the pointy-toothed kind."

"Cordelia knows this? And she's helping?" Buffy couldn't keep the skepticism out of her voice.

"Yeah. Let's just not go there, okay?" Xander shook his head.

"So Angel's the one who found the spell and the prophecy?"

"Uh-huh."

"All right. Still doesn't explain why you're telling me this." She tilted her head.

"It's just that we're depending on Angel to come up with something on this prophecy. I figured if you knew about him then we could stop worrying about what was going to happen when you found out."

She said, "Because of the whole _Buffy-gets-wacky-where-Angel's-concerned_ thing?"

He nodded.

She smiled and threw her arms around his waist, hugging him impulsively. She felt his hesitant response, broke the hug after a few moments and looked at him with bright eyes. "Thanks. It wasn't really necessary, but the thought was sweet."

"You're welcome," he mumbled.

She threaded her arm through his and they continued walking. After a few moments of silence she glanced up and caught him staring at her again.

"Okay. What's the what here, Xand? You look like you ate a bad egg or something. I'm beginning to feel like an infomercial -- _but wait, there's more!_"

Xander grimaced. "Can I ask you something?"

She nodded. "What?"

"It's just, what's the deal with this Callahan guy?"

"Xander," she said, "what are you talking about?"

"Look, Buff," he said seriously, "I know it's probably none of my business, but the guy called a little while ago." Xander stopped and crossed his arms.

"Oh." She scuffed at the sidewalk with her shoe. "Wait a minute. How'd he get Giles' number? I didn't give it to him. In fact, how'd he even know to call there?" She frowned.

Xander shook his head. "I don't know how he knew, but Giles is listed in the phone book, right?"

Buffy nodded, still confused. "So, what did he say?"

"Giles answered the phone."

Buffy glanced up. "And?"

"It got ugly. So I gotta ask, what's the deal?"

"Ugly?" She frowned. "What do you mean ugly?"

"From the side of the conversation we could hear it sounded like he wouldn't believe that you weren't there. I don't know what he said exactly, but Giles got that 'Ripper' look on his face and, well, Buff, he kinda told Callahan to 'sod off' among other things." Xander looked uncomfortable. "Giles gave us his silent movie imitation after he hung up. 'Course Will might've got something out of him after I left."

Buffy threw her hands up and let them settle on her hips. She said, exasperated, "Oh great. My life's not complicated enough as it is? What was he thinking?"

"Giles?"

"No! Brian. I called him earlier to tell him that I wasn't going to go out with him anymore. With all the other stuff going on, I so don't have time to deal with dating just to be dating." She glanced at Xander and added, "I didn't say it that way. I tried to let him down nicely. I mean, I like the guy, just not enough and I didn't want to lead him on. It's not easy to break up with someone when they're nice, you know? Not that we'd gone out enough times for this to really be a break up. So what the hell was he thinking, calling and getting into an argument with Giles?"

Xander looked puzzled and said, "Okay. I'm confused. You just broke up with the guy? He still wants to see you, right? And you didn't give him Giles' number, but he called there looking for you? So you're upset at him because he's jealous of Giles?"

"Jealous?" Buffy asked, shocked. Jealous? How could Brian be jealous of...Giles? God, she thought, Giles was _so_ going to kill her.

"That's the way the whole thing sounded to me. Look at it from a guy's perspective and you'll see that little green monster's hands all over the place." Xander shook his head.

"Oh," Buffy said in a small voice. "Do all guys lose the ability to reason when their hormones are engaged?"

Xander took her arm and started walking. "Hey, we learn it in Basic Male 101. It's a required course. Don't worry. I'm sure that after Giles got through with him you won't have to worry about this Callahan guy calling you. If you really don't want to see him anymore, that is." They turned up the walk to Giles' front door.

Buffy glanced up at Xander, her eyes wide. "That bad, huh?"

He nodded. "Not that I'm likely to forget anytime soon, but remind me not to get Giles really mad at me? He's got way too many words I've never heard before. I think he may even have been swearing at the guy in one of those dead languages he speaks." Xander chuckled. "If it hadn't been so scary it would've been kind of funny."

Buffy laughed. "Now I'm almost sorry I missed it. Almost."

They were still laughing as they walked through the door into Giles' foyer. They stopped at the sight of a strange, dark haired man standing in Giles' living room. Xander joined Willow and Oz on the couch. Buffy moved to Giles' side, standing just in front of him and between Giles and the stranger. Something about the guy bugged her.

She noted the serious looks on her friends' faces. She deliberately looked the stranger over and demanded, "Who the hell are you?" She felt Giles' warm hand on her shoulder and glanced up at him.

"So, you're the Slayer, eh? Name's Doyle, princess." He gave her an impudent look and grinned.


	2. Chapter 2

Giles felt Buffy start under his hand on her shoulder. He wasn't prepared for what she said next.

"You're Doyle?"

"So, you've heard o' me? Good."

"How do you know about Doyle?" Willow asked in shock. Her eyes widened and she leaned around Oz. "Xander!"

Xander raised his hands and sat back. "What? Hey, she already knew about Dead Boy being in L.A., okay? I just filled in some of the blanks."

Doyle snorted. "Dead Boy, huh? I'm going to have to remember that one."

Xander brightened.

Doyle glanced at the couch and asked curiously, "You're Xander, are you? Hmm."

Xander bristled. "What's that mean?"

"Nothin', nothin'. Just I've heard a bit about all of you and it's interesting puttin' the names to faces, if you know what I mean?" He assumed an innocent expression and turned back to Giles and Buffy.

Concerned, Giles looked down at her and murmured, "Buffy?"

She looked up at him and smiled warmly. "We'll talk. But it's okay. Really."

He nodded, relieved and a bit puzzled. He already felt guilty enough about his conversation with Brian Callahan and dreaded telling her about that. At least it seemed as though she wasn't upset over the business with Angel.

"So, Buffy," Doyle said, glancing between the Slayer and Giles. "I'm thinkin' we need to have a little chat about a few things while I'm here."

Giles frowned. "Why are you here? You were about to tell us, as I recall."

"Didn't you get Angel's email saying I was coming?"

"Oh!" Willow exclaimed. "I haven't checked my email in awhile. When did he send it?" She went into the other room and opened her laptop.

"Several hours ago." Doyle said. "I told him he should call."

"Something must have happened. I still haven't received it." Willow looked up from her computer with a frown. She returned to sit on the couch with Xander and Oz.

"I've got some information for you from Angel," Doyle said. "But the real reason I'm here is because the Powers That Be want me here."

Giles met Buffy's confused gaze for a moment and shook his head.

"Powers that be?" she asked suspiciously. "And who're they?"

Doyle shrugged. "Wish to hell I knew, princess. All's I know is they keep sending me visions that come with mind-numbing, head splittin' migraines. I follow the visions. Angel and Cordelia, they didn't want me to come, but I didn't really have a choice."

Giles felt Buffy tense and glanced at her quickly. She was frowning at Xander and seemed concerned about his reaction to the casual mention of Cordelia's name.

Buffy turned to Doyle. "You're saying you've had a vision about something in Sunnydale?"

He nodded unhappily. "One of the worst. Wasn't just Sunnydale, either. I kept seeing places all over the world. New York. London. Paris. Madrid. Demons everywhere. People running in terror, bein' torn apart." He shuddered. "But one word kept flashing over all of it."

"Sunnydale." Giles made it a statement.

Doyle nodded. "Whatever's going to happen, it starts here."

"The Tablet?" Oz asked.

"I'd bet on it," said Buffy.

"Tablet? What tablet?" Doyle asked and took a step toward her.

Buffy involuntarily stepped back, away from Doyle, stopping only when she bumped into Giles. He glanced down at her and reassuringly put his other hand on her shoulder as well.

Giles frowned at Doyle. "What's the information Angel sent with you?"

Doyle picked up a small bag from a corner of the entry and sighed. "Mind if I sit down? Don't suppose you'd have something to drink, preferably a single-malt scotch?"

Giles looked at Xander and jerked his head in the direction of the liquor cabinet. He had a strange feeling that Buffy needed the physical contact she was maintaining with him and he was reluctant to move. He watched Xander pour a small amount of scotch in a glass and hand it to Doyle.

Doyle sat down on a heavy chest off to the side of the couch and sipped his drink. He closed his eyes and smiled. "The Macallan. You're livin' right, Watcher. Thanks." He opened his eyes to find them all staring at him. "Sorry. Angel sent these." He reached into his bag and pulled out a small leather bound book, a little larger in dimension than a paperback, along with a sheaf of loose papers.

Giles reached one hand around Buffy and accepted them from him. Buffy grabbed them out of his hand, holding the book open so he could see the pages over her shoulder. He raised his eyebrows and met her gaze with his questioning one. Her eyes were wide. He dropped his hand from her shoulder, took the book and papers from her, and led her to the large easy chair next to the couch. He sat on the chair and pulled her down to sit on the arm, keeping hold of her hand.

Giles glanced up in time to see Doyle exchange a look with the three on the couch and jerk his head curiously at the two of them. Annoyed, Giles flipped the book on his lap open, riffling through the pages. My god, he thought. It was the original Gaelic addendum to the _Annales_ that Angel had mentioned in his previous email. He looked sharply at Doyle.

Doyle smiled slightly. "Angel said he thought you might as well read the original, since I was so determined to come here in person. But he did bookmark the passages he thought particularly pertinent. And he sent along his notes about the research he's done."

Buffy glanced down at the book on Giles' lap. "What is it?"

"It's Angel's copy of an addendum to the _Annales Cambriae_," Giles answered. "I don't believe the Council has this.

Doyle nodded seriously. "You're right. It's a bloody rare work. Angel only sent it because it's so important and because he trusts you." He drained his drink and took the empty glass into the kitchen.

Buffy looked at Giles. "So, how many pages are marked?"

"It looks like--"

Doyle had returned from the kitchen and he touched Buffy on the arm to get her attention. She gave a cry and jerked away from him, tumbling over onto the chair and Giles, knocking the book and papers to the floor. She clutched at Giles' shirt to keep from falling over further and his arms automatically came up to hold her to his chest. For the space of a heartbeat they stared at one another in shock, faces mere inches apart.

Doyle cleared his throat. "Sorry if I startled you, princess."

Buffy pushed herself away from Giles' chest and slid to her knees on the floor. Jeez, she thought, overreacting much? She glared up at Doyle. "Stop calling me that," she said irritably. She handed the _Annales_ to Giles and gathered up the loose papers.

"What?" he asked innocently. "Princess? Just a term of endearment, believe me."

"Well I'm not your 'dear', so stop it." She climbed to her feet, clutching the papers. She sat on the arm of Giles' chair furthest from Doyle, keeping a wary eye on him the entire time. Giles gently removed the papers from her fist.

Xander raised his hand. "So you're here to help find the Emerald Tablet? And then do what?"

Doyle jerked his head around to look at Xander and said fearfully, "Emerald Tablet?" He looked at Giles, eyes wide. "Damn. But that was destroyed--"

"Yeah, we know. A thousand years ago." Buffy interrupted in a bored voice.

"OK, princess. So you know. Then why do you think that's what we're looking for?" Doyle said sarcastically.

Giles frowned. "Think about what the Tablet can do for a minute and then think about your vision."

"Mix in one soul eating dagger and stir," added Xander.

Doyle rubbed his temples with his fingertips. "I should have listened to Angel and Cordelia."

"You can still go back to L.A.," Buffy said sweetly.

Giles shook his head at her.

"What? I'm just trying to be helpful."

"Well, I wish it were that simple, princess. But I can't leave until this is over." Doyle sighed and sat down heavily on the chest. "Speaking of which, I need a place to stay."

"Don't look at me," Xander said, gazing at the others. "Unless you want him to sleep on top of the washer and dryer. What about you?" He looked at Oz.

Oz shook his head. "Some of the guys already have people staying over. I've got people I don't know sleeping on the floor in my room as it is. I don't think there's a free spot in the house."

"You can stay here on the couch." Giles looked at the others. "It's getting late. Why don't we continue this in the morning."

"Thanks," Doyle said to Giles. "I'd get a room, but I'm kind of short of the green. I won't be any trouble."

"I seriously doubt that," Buffy muttered.

"Hey Xander, want a lift?" Oz asked. He picked up Willow's laptop case.

"Yeah. Thanks. See you guys later." Xander grabbed his jacket and followed Willow and Oz out to the van.

"'Night." Buffy closed the door behind them. She turned to Giles. "I'll get some sheets and stuff."

He nodded. He stood and looked at Doyle with a raised eyebrow. "You'll find a bathroom through there. And I'll thank you to stay out of the liquor cabinet."

Doyle ducked his head and grinned sheepishly. "Now, would I do that?"

"Do what?" Buffy asked curiously. She stacked the linen on the couch.

"Nothin', princess. Just having a friendly word with your Watcher."

Before Buffy could start an argument with him, Giles took her hand and led her to the stairs. He looked back over his shoulder to tell Doyle to help himself in the kitchen and caught a stunned look on the man's face. He frowned and opened his mouth to say something when he was interrupted by Buffy.

"Good night, Doyle," she said and tugged on Giles' hand. "See you in the morning."

"Uh, yeah, sure," Doyle said. "Whatever you say."

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Giles stood in the middle of the bedroom, arms crossed, waiting for Buffy to finish in the bathroom. He'd grown used to having Buffy spend the night without considering what others might think. The expression he'd surprised on Doyle's face before they came upstairs bothered him. And even worse, it reminded him uncomfortably of the telephone conversation he'd had with Brian Callahan while Buffy was out patrolling.

The door to the bathroom opened and Buffy came out. She was ready for bed, having changed into a pair of flannel boxer shorts and a tank top. She frowned when she saw him standing in the middle of the room, completely dressed.

"Giles? Is something wrong?" She sounded puzzled.

He sighed to himself. "I'm afraid we gave Doyle rather the wrong impression just now. I was thinking that perhaps I should go down and explain to him." To his surprise she laughed.

"Don't you dare. It'll serve him right to wonder about it all night and then feel embarrassed in the morning when he wheedles the truth out of us." She put her hands on her hips and tilted her head. "I'm so going to enjoy that. There's something strange about him. I can't put my finger on what it is, but he bothers me."

"Hmm. Well, I hope you get your satisfaction." Giles had a suspicion that she'd be disappointed in that. He pulled a T-shirt and pair of pajama bottoms out of his dresser and headed for the bathroom. He stopped in the doorway at the sound of her voice.

"When you're done in there we need to have a talk about Brian Callahan," she said softly.

He nodded without turning around and went through the door, closing it behind him. He delayed returning to the bedroom for as long as he could, foolishly hoping that she'd fall asleep waiting for him. Finally, he opened the door and turned out the light behind him.

Buffy had turned off all the lights with the exception of the small night light next to the bed. At first he couldn't find her in the dim light. She wasn't in the bed, nor could he make out her form in the chair. A slight noise turned his attention downward and he was startled to see her curled up with a pillow and blanket on the floor next to the bed.

"Buffy, you can't sleep on the floor," he said sternly.

"Why not?" she asked reasonably. She sat up and hugged her knees. "You need sleep as much as I do and you don't sleep well in that chair. Neither do I. I don't mind sleeping on the floor. You take the bed. Sounds like a plan to me."

"It's not right. You should have the bed. I'll do fine in the chair." His protest was weak and he knew it.

"Not a chance. You've got a lot of important stuff to figure out for us. I want you fully rested. I'll be just fine down here."

He could just make out the glint of her smile and knew this was an argument he was doomed to lose. He stepped around her and crawled into bed. "I don't feel right about this," he grumbled.

Buffy reached up and turned out the light and chuckled. "I just bet. At least you figured out it was time to throw in the towel on this argument."

Giles could hear her rustling around and assumed she was making herself comfortable. He lay back on his pillow and relaxed, only to tense again when she spoke.

"So, Giles. About that talk I hear you had with Brian?" Her voice was soft.

He cleared his throat. "Yes?"

"Would you like to tell me what happened?"

He frowned. Was that amusement he heard in her voice, he wondered? It couldn't be. Giles turned on his side to face her direction. "Well. There's really not much to tell. Callahan called and asked for you while you were out patrolling. I told him you weren't here. He didn't exactly accept that. I...I guess I got rather angry. I'm sorry, Buffy, but I'm afraid we had words." Maybe she wouldn't ask for details, he hoped.

She snorted. "Words? The way I heard it you had entire dictionaries. You maybe want to be a little more specific?"

Giles sighed. One could always count on Xander, he thought darkly. As he thought over the conversation with Callahan he became angry all over again. "What is it that you want me to say? I didn't like the accusation Callahan made and I let him know it. If you're going to date this man, I--"

"I'm not," Buffy cut in quickly.

"You're...not. Not dating him?" Giles was puzzled. He'd thought she was upset about this. What did she mean she wasn't dating him?

"No. I'm not dating him anymore." There were more rustling sounds and then her voice came from the edge of the bed. "Giles, I called him earlier today to tell him that I wasn't going to see him again."

Startled, he asked, "Why?"

"Because while he's nice, I don't want to date just to be dating if you know what I mean. It isn't fair to either of us. Besides, I've got more important things on my mind right now. Trying to figure out how to juggle dating Brian Callahan without him finding out about slaying and everything just wasn't high enough on my list of priorities to be worth it." Her voice turned rueful. "I seem to recall someone pretty smart telling me once that having a personal life as a slayer was, um, problematic at best?"

"Buffy," he began.

"No. It's okay. When it's really important I'll figure out how. Right now I just want to make sure you're safe and save the world from being overrun by demons, in that order." She paused and added, "I'm still waiting for the details of that conversation."

He groaned softly. "Is that really necessary?"

"Yep. I'm a little concerned that he called here looking for me. See, I never gave him your number and I sure didn't tell him he could reach me here."

"Oh? Well, in that case." Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. "I suppose I should be honest and say I never cared for him? He accused me of lying about you not being here. I told him he was an idiot. Now that you've said you never told him you'd be here, the next thing he said is rather puzzling." He frowned.

"What's that?" she prompted.

"He said he knew you were staying here and he accused me of not letting you come to the phone to talk to him. I got angry at that and called him a few choice names."

"Xander said you told him to 'sod off'? And that it sounded like you were swearing at him in dead languages."

"Er, yes, I did, both actually." He was surprised to hear her laugh.

"Oh that's rich. I don't understand how he knew I was staying here, though."

"Perhaps he was just looking for confirmation? If so, I'm afraid I gave it to him. I'm sorry." He regretted that. He started at the touch of her hand on his arm.

"Don't be. He'd obviously jumped to his own conclusions before he called here. Nothing you said would have changed his mind. I'm just glad I had the sense to break this off now."

He smiled at the seriousness in her voice and placed his hand over hers. "Then I'll confess that it felt good to tell the bastard where to get off. Occasionally, that can be a satisfying experience."

"Yeah. I--"

A loud crash came from downstairs. Giles felt Buffy's grip on his arm tighten painfully for a moment before she removed her hand, and he knew he'd have a nasty bruise there later. They both jumped up and rapidly made their way downstairs. Giles flicked the light switch next to the stairs and they stopped short, staring in shock at the sight of Doyle doubled over on the floor, clutching his head and moaning in pain.

Giles glanced at Buffy. "Let's move him to the couch."

They knelt on either side of Doyle's writhing form and grasped hold where they could. At Giles' nod they lifted and eased him onto the couch, holding him steady so he wouldn't fall off again. Doyle's skin was clammy and his face pale, with beads of sweat dotting his forehead.

"What do we do?" Buffy asked.

"I assume this is one of his visions. I don't know if there's anything we can do." Giles put his fingers on Doyle's neck. "His pulse is dangerously high. I suppose we just hope it ends soon."

They tried to keep him still, but his jerky movements made that difficult. The attack lasted for a few more moments and then as suddenly as it had begun it was over. Doyle's body relaxed into unconsciousness.

Giles met Buffy's gaze with a shrug. He took Doyle's pulse and found it to be near normal. He studied the man's face for a long moment and then went to the liquor cabinet where he poured a large glass of scotch. He sat down on the coffee table across from the couch and watched as Doyle regained consciousness. Buffy sat next to him.

Doyle groaned and grabbed his head. "Ah, god!" He slowly sat up and looked at the two across from him.

Giles silently handed him the glass.

Doyle gulped the scotch and wiped the back of his hand over his mouth. He closed his eyes for a long moment and sighed. "I needed that. Thanks," he said quietly.

"I take it that was one of your visions?" Giles asked, just as quietly.

Doyle nodded. He opened his eyes and said miserably, "And I thought the one that brought me here was bad."

"What did you see?" Buffy asked gently.

Giles smiled to himself. She might have a problem with Doyle, but she reacted to his obvious pain with compassion, just as he would expect.

Doyle hesitated. He took another long pull of his drink before answering. "I saw the Emerald."

Giles leaned forward. "And?"

"It's huge. Not at all what I thought it'd be. It's roughly the size of a bowling ball, but it's all jaggedy-like. A big chunk of rough green stone, really. It's this murky green color, kind of a light jade with dark green streaks. There was something in it." He shuddered and sipped his drink. "Whatever it was, the thing pulsed and every time it did jagged bolts of lightning lanced out from it. It was like the lightning was tearing reality apart."

"Pulsed?" Buffy turned to Giles. "That's the way Xander described the green stuff on my arm from the dagger."

Giles nodded. "I'd say they're probably related. The Emerald and the dagger were both tools of the Trismegistus, remember."

Doyle looked at Buffy. "You were the one cut by the dagger? Angel thought it had to be one of the others. He was sure Willow would tell him if it was you."

"We didn't see the need to worry him," Giles said shortly.

Doyle nodded and sipped his drink.

"Did you see where the Emerald is?" Buffy asked.

Doyle shook his head. "Not that I can identify. You have to understand something. What I see? It's just a version of what could happen. Not necessarily what will happen. Do you get the difference? It's like I'm given these terrible visions so that I'll know the consequences of not doing what I can to prevent them." He sounded anxious.

"I think we get it," Buffy said dryly. "Like the vision that brought you here. If we don't find the Emerald, that's what'll happen."

Doyle nodded.

"What else did you see?" Giles asked.

Doyle looked down at his drink. "The Emerald was sittin' in a shallow trough. There was one channel leading to it. Drops of blood came rollin' down the channel and hit the stone. That's what caused it to pulse and send out the lightning."

"Where was the blood coming from?" Buffy asked curiously.

Doyle looked at Giles and shivered. "From him."

"What?" Buffy stood up.

Giles put a hand on her arm and gently pulled her back down. "Let him finish. We need to know."

Doyle drained his drink and said hoarsely. "You and the stone were in the middle of some arcane symbol. You were chained to the ground, but it didn't look like you were in any condition to move." He swallowed convulsively. "You'd been tortured. Pretty much had most of the skin on your chest and back flayed away. You were still alive though. I could tell your heart was beating because every time it did more blood dripped into the channel and down to the stone." He broke off when Buffy made a distressed noise.

They turned to her to see her face go deathly pale and her eyes grow huge. She gazed at Giles for a moment in horror and then bolted from the room. A moment later they heard the bathroom door slam. Giles frowned and followed her slowly.

He leaned his head against the doorjamb and hesitated. Through the door he could hear the sounds of her retching, the sound of the toilet flushing and then the unmistakable sound of her muffled weeping. There was no other sound for several long moments. He straightened and knocked softly on the door.

"Buffy?" he asked quietly. "Are you all right? Let me help you." He heard her fight to control her tears.

Her voice wavered when she answered him. "It's okay, Giles. I'll be okay. Just give me a minute?"

"Very well."

He backed up until he was leaning on the wall across from the bathroom door. He could hear her open cabinets and then the sound of the faucet running. He smiled slightly as he heard her gargle a couple of times. And then the door opened.

She was still too pale and the hair framing her face was damp. Her eyes were dilated and huge in her face. She held out a shaking hand to him. That was all the invitation he needed. He folded her into the warmth of his embrace and murmured soothing words. She buried her face in his chest.

He bent down until his lips were close to her ear and whispered, "Remember what Doyle said. His vision doesn't have to become reality." He felt her nod against his chest. After a long moment she pushed against him and he let his arms fall away from her.

She gazed up at him and said fiercely, "We won't let it. I won't let it happen."

He smiled at her. "I know." They returned to the living room together.

"Everything all right, then?" Doyle asked gently.

She nodded.

"Was there anything else in your vision that you can remember?" Giles asked.

Doyle nodded. "Yeah. There was a demon. Nasty, ugly brute he was. Blue with these purple patches all over. Pointy teeth. I didn't recognize him, though there was something familiar about him. He was chanting something he was reading from this big book he was holdin'. It's the one thing that was really clear about the vision. The book was the _Malleus Abyssum_."

Giles glanced at Buffy. "Well, now we know what the Hammer is."

"Uh-huh. A big ol' spell book." She sounded tired. "And that sounds like the demon from my nightmare."

Giles turned to Doyle. "Was that all?"

"Yeah. It's enough, don't you think?" He shook his head.

"Will you be all right?"

"Don't you worry about me. I'll be fine. Except for the nightmares this one'll give me." He gave them a small smile. "There's no lasting effects from the visions."

Giles nodded. "Then I think I should take Buffy upstairs."

"Good night," Doyle called softly after them.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Giles kept his arm around her while they walked up the stairs. He was concerned that her previous fatigue seemed to have returned. When they reached the bedroom he steered her to the bed and sat down on it with her. She leaned against him and he put his arms around her, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"Buffy," he said, "everything will be all right."

"Promise?" she asked, her voice low.

"I promise. I have every confidence that we'll find the answers and stop this from happening." He made his voice light. "Besides, you're too stubborn to allow it."

"I'm too stubborn? Look who's talking."

He heard the smile in her voice. "Yes, well, I don't know about that. In any case, I want you to take the bed for the rest of the night."

She pulled away from him and stood up. "Oh no you don't. I'm still just fine on the floor. You get in that bed, Mister. I don't want to hear another argument out of you about it." Her wavering voice belied the strong words.

He sighed and tried to lighten the moment, "Very well. But if I step on you in the middle of the night it's your own fault." He swung his legs up onto the bed and settled himself.

She snorted and arranged the blanket on the floor. "I wouldn't if I were you. I'm likely to forget where I am and think you're a vampire."

He was still smiling when he fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Willow walked outside Giles' condo into the small courtyard. Buffy was reclining in one of the chairs with her eyes closed and her face turned up toward the sun. Her hair was pulled back into a long golden braid and she was wearing her baggy cargo pants, T-shirt and tennis shoes. Willow studied her friend in silence for a moment and smiled. Sometimes, she thought, things like enjoying a moment in the sunshine were more important than anything. Their daily struggle against the dark made it difficult to know when they'd have opportunities to just enjoy simple pleasures.

Willow quietly sat down in a chair next to her friend. She must have made a slight noise because Buffy opened her eyes and sat up. She turned to Willow and smiled.

"Hi Buffy."

"Hey Will. Did you just get here?"

Willow nodded. "Oz dropped me off. The Dingoes are practicing today."

"Oh. Is Xander here?" Buffy looked around the courtyard.

"Not yet. He'll probably show up in a bit. Giles was translating the book Angel sent him and Doyle said you were out here, so here I am." Willow tried not to look apprehensive, but she wondered what Buffy was really thinking about the whole thing with Angel. She'd never been good at keeping secrets, well, except for that whole fluke with Xander, she thought. And her feeling of guilt over Angel had been festering for months now. She hated that. It'd be a relief to be fester free.

Buffy stretched and said reluctantly, "I guess we should go in and help with the research."

"Wait. Buffy, I know I don't deserve forgiveness. I mean, you have every right to be angry with me. But I really was just thinking of you. I didn't want you to be unhappy. And, well, I'm babbling, I know I'm babbling. Do you hate me?" Willow looked at her friend anxiously.

Buffy returned her gaze, a small smile on her face. "I don't hate you, Will. How could I hate you? You're my best friend."

"Really? I mean, still?"

Buffy's smile widened. "Of course still. I just wish you guys would have been able to trust me."

"No! You don't understand. We trust you. We just didn't want to hurt you!" Willow tried to make her see the difference.

Buffy nodded, her face serious. "I do understand. I meant that you need to trust that I can take whatever happens. You don't have to be afraid that I'll run away again, no matter how much something hurts."

Willow felt her face grow hot. "That wasn't it. Really. Well, OK, maybe we were a little afraid of that. Not that anyone said anything. But we did want to protect you."

"I'm the Slayer, Will. I should be the one protecting you guys." Buffy shook her head. "It's all right, though. We're cool."

Willow smiled. "Great. And I promise to tell you things even if it may be bad news or hard to deal with."

"Thanks. I think." Buffy quirked an eyebrow and gave her a lopsided smile.

Willow hesitated. "You looked so serious when I came out here. What were you thinking about?"

Buffy sighed. "Believe it or not, I was thinking about Doyle."

Willow frowned. "What about Doyle?"

"It's just that there's something really strange about him and I can't figure out what it is. Did you ever get that email from Angel?"

Willow shook her head. "Nope. I sent him an email to ask him about Doyle coming here, but he hasn't replied yet. What's bothering you about him?"

She shook her head. "I wish I knew. Most of the time he seems normal enough, if really obnoxious. But every once in a while he does something that creeps me out. Like when he touched me last night? He didn't really startle me." Her gaze turned intense. "Will, it was like an electric shock and I got this really weird feeling. And then this morning he came out here and for a moment when I looked at him... God, this is going to sound like I'm a candidate for a padded room, and straight-jackets are so out this year."

"Buffy!"

"OK, OK. He was standing in the sun and he didn't have a shadow. It was like he wasn't real." Buffy shivered and looked down at her hands. "I closed my eyes for a second and when I looked again his shadow was there. Crazy, huh?"

Willow frowned. "Not real? Like a ghost? But if he isn't real how could he touch you? How could he do any of the things he's done since he's been here?"

Buffy shook her head. "I told you it's crazy. And I didn't get the same feeling when Giles and I helped him last night when he had that vision of his. There's something wrong about him. I know it. What's Angel told you?"

Willow thought about Angel's emails. "Not much really. Actually, he hasn't mentioned him at all except for a few times right at first when they opened up their investigation business and hired Cordy. We don't really email all that much. Mostly it's just a kind of keeping in touch, you know? Like, how are you, everything's fine here. That sort of thing. He does mention Cordy a lot though. I just thought Angel was respecting Doyle's privacy or something."

Buffy looked troubled. "Let me know what he has to say about Doyle coming here, OK?"

Willow nodded. "Have you told Giles?"

"No. I'm not going to and neither are you," Buffy said sternly. "Giles has enough to deal with right now. He doesn't need to worry about whether I've got all my marbles as well. If something real happens, I'll tell him. I'm not going to bother him about phantom feelings."

"But--"

"No. Please?" Buffy asked softly.

"All right," she said reluctantly. The idea of keeping this from Giles disturbed Willow. If nothing else, living on the Hellmouth had taught her that ignoring weird feelings usually led to trouble. She resolved to keep a close watch on Doyle. If she saw anything out of the ordinary she'd tell Giles right away.

"Thanks."

"You said Doyle had a vision. What was it?" Willow asked.

Buffy closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands.

"Buffy? Are you all right?" Willow asked anxiously.

"Yeah. It's just hard to think about it." Buffy gazed at her, eyes filled with pain. "Oh Will! Doyle saw the Emerald and the demon. And Giles."

"Giles?"

Buffy nodded and said miserably, "He'd been tortured. The demon was using his blood in some kind of ritual with the Emerald."

"Oh no!" Willow's breath caught in her throat.

Buffy sighed. "I can't let it happen again. I can't fail him."

"We won't," she said firmly. "You'll see. We'll guard him."

Buffy made a small sound in her throat, half whimper and half sigh. "I'm just so afraid, Will. I've made so many mistakes. Let him down so many times. What if I can't stop this?"

Willow leaned forward and grabbed her friend's hand. "Buffy. You know Giles would disagree with what you just said. I disagree with it, too. And you...we can only do the best we can. Even if it turns out that we aren't able to prevent it, do you really think Giles would blame you?"

Buffy shook her head. "I know he wouldn't. I just don't know why."

Willow said gently, "Maybe you should ask him."

"Maybe," Buffy said uncertainly. "I'll think about it. Let's go in, OK?"

Willow nodded.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Giles put down his pen and rubbed his forehead. Bloody prophecies, he thought irritably. Why did they always have to be so damn obscure? This one was as bad as they came. And why in hell couldn't he find that blasted demon? He looked up when he heard Buffy and Willow enter the room.

Buffy stood in front of his desk. "How's the translating going?"

"I'm done. Not that it's going to help." He couldn't keep the frustration out of his voice.

"Why not? If you've translated it, then we know what's going to happen, right?" Willow asked hopefully.

"It isn't that simple. For one thing, this isn't the Codex so it's only a prediction of what might happen, not a guarantee of what will happen. For another, I can guess at what some of it means, but the rest?" Giles shook his head. "Just once I'd like to come across a bloody prophecy written in plain, unambiguous English. One that said, 'the demon will be alone and helpless in the abandoned factory on Jones Street at 9:42pm on September 15, 2001. The Slayer will slay him at 9:44pm. At 9:45pm all will rejoice and party.'"

"OK, I think someone's been hanging around Xander just a little too much," Buffy teased. "So, what does this one say?"

Giles read his translation; "_The Destroyer shall wield the Hammer and the Stone under the vault of heaven. The knowledge of the universe shall consume the cherished, the curtain of night shall be parted and the firmament shall tremble. As above, so below. As below, so above. The fate of the world rests in the hands of the Renunciate. In amore veritas. Woe to mankind if the demons walk the earth._" He looked up with a grimace.

"You're right. That's pretty vague." Buffy shrugged and leaned against the desk. "What's that one part mean? In a more a very toss?"

Giles smiled in spite of himself. "_In amore veritas_. It means _In love there is truth_. The rest was written in Gaelic. That was the only Latin phrase. It seemed fitting somehow to leave it as it was written."

"But the prophecy mentions the Hammer and the Stone. That has to be the _Malleus Abyssum_ and the Emerald?" Willow asked.

Giles nodded. "I believe so, yes."

"Then the Destroyer must be the demon. That should help, right?" Buffy added.

"Maybe." Giles sighed. "It depends on whether _Destroyer_ is actually a name for the demon or just a description. Could be either."

"At least it's something we can check," Buffy said reasonably. "So who's this Renunciate?"

Giles shook his head. "I've never come across the term before, so I don't know if it's meant to be taken literally. It could refer to the demon, or to someone or something else entirely."

"What about those notes Angel sent?" Willow asked.

"They were his version of the translation. I used them as a check on my work. Unfortunately he's never heard of either the Destroyer or the Renunciate."

"What've you got?" Doyle's voice caused them all to start.

Buffy turned and looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Don't do that!"

"What?" he asked innocently.

"You know what! Stop sneaking up on me." She put her fists on her hips.

Giles frowned. Something about Doyle obviously bothered her, but Giles couldn't sense anything out of the ordinary about the man. "Buffy," he said warningly.

She turned to him and rolled her eyes. "All right, all right. I'll behave."

"Thank you." Giles glanced at Doyle and noticed the paper he held in his hand. He nodded at it. "What's that?"

Doyle held it out. "I tried to draw the demon from my vision. It's pretty close I think. Will it help?"

Giles examined the drawing and raised his eyebrows. The drawing was amazingly detailed. He showed it to Buffy. "Is this the demon from your dream?"

She nodded, wide eyed. "Yeah. That's it. Right down to those pointy teeth."

"Thank you, Doyle. This may indeed be a big help."

"May I see it?" Willow held out her hand and took the drawing. "I think I've seen this somewhere."

"On the 'net?" Buffy asked.

"No. In a book. But which one?" Willow frowned in concentration. Her face suddenly lit up. "It was in one of the Mayor's books! You know, when I was captured and went through his stuff? Before I found the _Books of Ascension_ I looked through this little volume and I'm sure one of the pictures in it was this guy."

Giles asked, "Do you remember anything specific about the book? Was there a title?"

Willow closed her eyes. "I-it was thin and had a...a red binding. And the words _Demoniacus Antiquus_ were stamped in gold on it."

"Will! That's great!" Buffy touched her on the arm.

Giles added his praise. "Yes, that is very well done, Willow." Could they be lucky enough to have a real break at last, he wondered?

She opened her eyes and looked at them, face flushed. "Is that something we can find?"

Giles smiled. "I believe I have a copy of that particular volume. I don't use it very often. The demons listed in it were all thought to have been slain at one time or another. Now the question is, where did I put it?"

He walked to the bookcases against the far wall and searched across the top shelves first without luck, but finally found the book on a bottom shelf on the end. He brought it back to the desk. He stood between the two women and opened it, riffling the pages until he came to a picture that closely resembled Doyle's drawing.

"That's it!" Buffy exclaimed.

Doyle peered over the top of the book and nodded. "Yeah. That does look like it."

Giles slowly sank down in his chair behind the desk, silently translating the passage under the picture. A feeling of dread settled over him and he looked up.

"Giles? What does it say?" Buffy asked fearfully.

"The demon is known as the Destroyer. He--"

"That's good, right? That means we're on the right track?" Willow asked anxiously.

Giles nodded slowly. "Yes. But I rather wish we weren't."

"What is it?" Buffy's gaze searched his face.

"The Destroyer was also known as the left hand of the Trismegistus. The most powerful demon after the Thrice Greatest. He was known as the Destroyer not only for his uncanny ability to kill, but also for the delight he took in it. All demons kill, but it seems the Destroyer was particularly vicious. It was thought that his abilities came from the Tablet. That the Thrice Greatest had bestowed special powers on his left hand and his right hand, and that death and destruction were the gifts he gave the Destroyer. After the Trismegistus and his artifacts were destroyed, his left hand, the Destroyer, was never seen again. It was thought that he was killed at the same time."

There was a moment of silence and then Buffy asked, "If this is the same Destroyer then why has it taken so long for him to do what he's doing?"

Giles shook his head. "I don't know. Perhaps whatever happened to the dagger and the Tablet happened to him as well. It would explain why the three have turned up at the same time."

Doyle spoke up. "Are you thinkin' temporal flux of some kind?"

"You know about temporal flux?" Willow asked curiously.

"Hey. I'm not just good lookin', you know? I've got a brain, too." Doyle joked.

"That remains to be seen," Buffy muttered.

Giles sent her a look and she subsided. "Temporal flux, perhaps. Or perhaps some type of warped-space bubble. We may never know the answer."

"So, what'll it take to kill this guy?" Buffy asked practically.

Giles removed his glasses, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "He's a demon and can be killed in all the ways any demon can be killed. The most effective of course is beheading. I'll have to research further to see if the Destroyer has any specific weaknesses."

Several hours later Giles sat back from his desk and yawned. Willow was in the other room with Doyle searching the Internet. He looked around the room and smiled to himself at the sight of Buffy dozing on the couch, a book open on her lap. She'd volunteered to look for anything that might shed light on the Renunciate mentioned in the prophecy. Giles glanced out the window and frowned. It was dark out and Xander still hadn't shown up.

Giles' current research had yielded next to nothing about the Destroyer's weaknesses as well as very little about his strengths. All he could find were vague descriptions of how terrible and awesome were the Destroyer's powers. He was beginning to suspect that much of the demon's reputation was mere hyperbole. The original records were so old, and had been copied and recopied so many times that he believed much had been lost. Besides, the information was about a demon that all thought dead. It wouldn't hurt anyone to exaggerate or invent things about it. It was also probable from what he'd read that the Destroyer had never faced a Slayer.

It would be wise to have Buffy train with the swords, he thought. They'd skipped working with the swords in the last couple of weeks and he believed she'd need those skills when she fought the Destroyer.

A pounding came from the front door along with the sound of someone yelling hoarsely. Giles rushed to the door, the others close on his heels. He opened the door and Xander fell through onto the entry floor, disheveled and bloody. Giles helped him sit up, propping him against the wall.

"Xander!" Willow cried. She knelt beside him and lightly touched his face.

He looked at her and said miserably, "I'm sorry Will. They got Oz."


	4. Chapter 4

"What do you mean, they got Oz?" Buffy asked. "Who has Oz? What happened?"

Xander turned to Giles. "Help me up here?" At Giles' skeptical look he added, "I'm not hurt that bad."

Giles nodded to Buffy. Together they lifted Xander to his feet.

"You're bleeding. Willow, get the first aid kit please." Giles led a wobbly Xander into the living room and sat him in a straight-backed wooden chair next to his desk.

Willow returned and handed Giles the metal box. "You're really OK?" she asked Xander anxiously.

"Yeah. I just wish..." he trailed off glumly.

Giles soaked a cotton ball in antiseptic and swabbed it first over the blood-encrusted cut on Xander's forehead. He grimaced in sympathy as Xander tried not to flinch away from the stinging sensation. "This is fairly shallow, really, and it looks like it's stopped bleeding. Take your shirt off so I can get at the cuts on your arm and chest. Buffy, would you get him a clean shirt from my closet please?"

He examined the gash on Xander's upper arm and decided it wasn't deep enough to require stitches. He bandaged it and wrapped gauze around the arm to keep the bandage in place. The wounds on Xander's chest were mere scratches and Giles handed him an antiseptic-soaked cotton ball so he could clean them himself.

Xander took the shirt Buffy held out to him. "Thanks. A little big, but it'll work." He smiled slightly and shrugged into the shirt.

Buffy stood in front of him and folded her arms. "Xander, what happened? Where's Oz?"

Giles glanced at Willow.

Xander sighed. "I was supposed to meet Oz at his place and listen to the Dingoes practice, but I was late. It took me longer than I thought it would to take care of some business I had, so I didn't make it over there until they were already packing up their stuff. It was just on twilight. We didn't expect vampires to be out so early. Stupid."

"Don't say that. Why should you expect it?" Buffy said gently.

He shook his head and said bitterly, "Stupid. We weren't paying attention and we know better. We were just standing there outside the house talking about the band. That's when they hit. There must have been a dozen of 'em. We probably could've fought off three or even four." He looked down at his hands. "It took three of them to hold onto Oz. He fought like crazy. I actually staked one. I tried to get to Oz and got hit on the head and knocked down. When I got up I saw them dragging him down the street. I ran after them. Tried to get to him. Oh god, Will I'm so sorry!" He held out his hand to her.

"What happened next?" Giles asked.

Xander blinked and said, "One of them turned and attacked me. Oz yelled at me to get away, to come here and get you guys. I didn't want to leave him, but I got it. I couldn't help him by myself. I took off running. Here's the weird thing. The vamp that attacked me turned back to the group as soon as I took off."

Giles frowned. "That is odd. First they leave you helpless on the ground and then they fail to follow up on what should have been an easy target given their numbers."

Xander said wryly, "Yeah. That's kinda what went through my head. It was like they wanted Oz and if I didn't try to interfere they'd leave me alone. So I followed them. As long as I stayed back they didn't bother me. They took Oz to that abandoned factory over on California and Green. I waited until I was sure they weren't leaving and then I ran here to get you guys."

Buffy strode to the locked closet where Giles kept the weapons.

Willow turned to Giles. "Why would they want Oz?" she asked fearfully.

"And who are they?" Buffy added over her shoulder.

"Is there anything you can tell us that might help?" Giles asked Xander. "Anything that could identify them?" He watched Buffy unlock the closet. She knelt, pulled out a small duffel bag and began filling it with weapons.

"Well, they were all wearing the same outfit. It was red and black and kind of a cross between a military uniform and something out of Star Wars. They all wore black gloves." He shook his head. "Otherwise, they were just vamps. No special weapons or anything."

"Any insignia on the uniform?"

Xander frowned. "No...wait, there was something on the right shoulder. On the sleeve, you know? The sleeves were black and there was something round and red on the right one. I didn't get a good look at it."

"Shit," Doyle said, startling them all.

Buffy glanced up at him and said sarcastically, "Thanks for the commentary. I don't suppose you have something useful to add?"

"I just might at that, princess. Their uniforms were red and black? And there was a round red patch on the right shoulder? Maybe like a full moon in red?"

"Could've been a full moon," Xander said grudgingly. "Like I said, I didn't get a good look at it."

"Do you recognize them?" Giles asked.

"Yeah, I do. Sounds like the Sect of Septimius," Doyle said. "Bad tempered bunch."

"Sect of Septimius? Are you sure?" Giles frowned.

"Why? What's their deal?" Buffy asked.

Giles rubbed his chin. "They worship chaos. A bit of an odd thing really, considering how well organized the Sect is purported to be. I don't understand what they could possibly want with Oz."

"I can't say what they'd want with your friend, but it makes sense that they'd be in town now. If the Destroyer succeeds with the Emerald it would be the ultimate in chaos." Doyle shook his head. "Seems to me that their being here just confirms everything."

"Destroyer?" Xander said confused.

"We'll explain later," Willow said.

Giles stood in front of the weapons closet and looked down at Buffy. She hesitated between selecting a small crossbow or a sword. "I'd suggest the crossbow," he said quietly. "And plenty of quarrels. We'll need to position someone high enough to be able to use it effectively, of course."

Buffy's head snapped up and she gazed at him with an unreadable expression. "We?" she asked. "You're staying right here." She stood up.

He crossed his arms and said, "You can't do this by yourself. There are too many of them."

She shook her head. "It's too dangerous. If you stay here then I'll know you're safe. I can't have you there. If you're there I'll be worrying about you instead of focusing on getting Oz out. Please?" Her voice held a pleading note.

"Buffy--"

"I've got to do this," she said quietly and glanced over at Willow. "She went through so much with him last fall. I can't stand the thought of her hurting like that again."

He shook his head. "I won't let you go by yourself," he said stubbornly.

"She won't." Xander's quiet voice came from behind him. He moved to stand next to Giles. "I'm going with her. I can help."

"Don't forget me," Willow added as she joined Xander, the determination on her face reflected in her voice.

Buffy's gaze never left Giles' face. "See. Just like old times. The Slayer and her Slayerettes. We'll get Oz back and you'll be safe. Besides, we still need to know how to find the Destroyer and you're the only one who's gonna be able to figure that out."

Giles held her gaze for a moment longer and then turned to the others. "Be very careful. The Sect of Septimius is rumored to be particularly vicious."

They nodded and took over the task of loading the weapons bag from Buffy.

"I still think I should go with you," Giles said. At the look on her face he held up his hands. "I'll stay here. I promise."

Buffy placed her hand on his arm. "Thanks," she replied. "That makes it easier for me."

Giles nodded. "Right. I'll see you when you return, then." He turned and went back to the desk. What would the Sect of Septimius want with Oz, he wondered? There was nothing in the prophecy that dealt with them as far as he could see. And he couldn't remember ever coming across any correlation between the Sect and the Destroyer, or the Thrice Greatest for that matter. It was possible that this was just a coincidence, but given the proximity of the Hellmouth Giles was inclined to be very skeptical of that.

"So, princess. Want some more help?"

Giles glanced up to see Doyle leaning against the wall watching the preparations.

"No. Thanks." Buffy glanced at Giles and turned to Doyle. "Stay here with Giles, OK?" With a single glance back at Giles she hefted the bag and headed out the door, Xander and Willow trailing behind her.

Doyle shrugged. "Whatever you say." He walked over and sat on the desk. "Guess it's you and me, Watcher."

"Marvelous," Giles said dryly. "You can start going through this stack of books. We still need to flesh out the details of that prophecy. And try to figure out where the Sect fits in."

Doyle sighed. "Great. Another rousing night of research."

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Giles pushed himself back from his desk with a groan. It just wasn't coming together. He tried to focus on the text in front of him, but his thoughts kept straying to Buffy. She and the others had left a couple of hours ago and Giles was beginning to worry that they weren't back yet. He raked his hand through his hair.

"Find somethin'?" Doyle asked from the couch.

Giles shook his head. "No. What about you?"

"Nothing to tie the Sect to the Destroyer. I still think they've been drawn here because of the Emerald. If they've hooked up with the Destroyer it's bad news." He looked troubled.

"I think we have to assume that they are working with the Destroyer. With the Hellmouth it's too dangerous not to make such assumptions."

Doyle leaned forward and clasped his hands together. He looked at Giles seriously. "Can I ask you a question?"

Giles nodded, curious as to what he wanted.

"What's going on between you and Buffy?"

Giles frowned. "What do you mean?"

Doyle raised an eyebrow. "I mean--"

The doorbell rang, interrupting Doyle's question. Giles wasn't sure he was ready to hear whatever it was Doyle had on his mind and he gratefully opened the door. He frowned, surprised to find Brian Callahan standing on his front porch looking ill at ease.

"Giles," Callahan said curtly. "Let Buffy know I'm here to see her."

Giles folded his arms across his chest. "Buffy isn't here, Callahan. But then I told you that on the phone earlier." The berk didn't need to know that she'd come and gone since then, he thought. He felt Doyle step behind him quietly.

"Funny how I don't believe you." Callahan scowled. "Mind if I look around for myself?" He started to take a step into the foyer.

Giles pushed him back out onto the front porch. He stepped out of the house and closed the door. "As a matter of fact I do mind. You're not welcome here Callahan. I told you she isn't here. But even if she was, Buffy's made it clear that she doesn't want to see you." His anger flared. Callahan had a hell of a nerve to show up and make demands.

"Not to me, she hasn't. I'm not leaving here until I talk to her. I'm sure once we talk that she'll see things differently." Callahan's voice shook with repressed fury.

Giles said in a low, dangerous tone, "For the last time, Callahan, she doesn't want to talk to you. If you continue to harass her you'll have me to deal with."

"I don't know what hold you have over her, you bastard. But you're not going to prevent me from seeing her." Callahan raised his clenched fists.

Giles heard a slight rustling noise and looked beyond Callahan to see two vampires spring at the man's back. He yelled and tried to grab Callahan to pull him inside the house, but he wasn't quick enough. Nor did he hear the vampires that hit him from behind. He fell to his knees. Callahan was out cold. He heard the door open and lifted his head to try to yell a warning at Doyle, only to see one of the vampires swing a club and knock Doyle back into the apartment. Giles tried desperately to push himself up when pain exploded in his head and the world went black as he fell face forward.


	5. Chapter 5

Buffy held up her hand. "There's the factory," she whispered. She motioned for Willow and Xander to fade back out of the streetlight. They watched the entrance for any sign of the vampires, but the front of the factory looked abandoned.

Xander frowned. "I don't understand," he whispered. "There were three of 'em out front when I left."

"You don't think they took Oz someplace else?" Willow asked anxiously.

Buffy shook her head. "I don't know. We better assume they're in there. Let's check out the back."

They stayed to the shadows and worked their way around to the rear of the building. There was only one vampire guarding the door and Buffy made quick work of staking him.

"I thought you said there were a dozen of them?" she whispered to Xander.

"There were." Xander sounded puzzled.

Buffy frowned. "They may all be inside then. You guys know the drill. Be as quiet as you can and let's see what we're up against."

They nodded and cautiously followed her into the factory. They felt their way down a long dark corridor that opened up onto a shop floor where heavy equipment had obviously been removed leaving only empty fittings. To the left was a metal stairway that led to a catwalk that encircled the floor. Buffy knelt down and quietly unzipped the duffel bag. She pulled out the small crossbow and handed it and the bundle of quarrels to Willow. She handed Xander several stakes and zipped the bag.

"Will, I want you to take the crossbow up on that catwalk and do as much damage as you can, okay?" she asked quietly.

Willow nodded. She loaded a quarrel into the crossbow and cocked it.

Buffy looked at Xander. "Are you up for this?"

"Yeah. It's payback time." He smiled briefly and took a deep breath.

"OK. Let's go out there and give Willow time to get up those stairs."

Buffy and Xander rushed out onto the floor, making as much noise as they could. Willow turned and ran up the stairs and out onto the catwalk, looking down at the floor for Oz and possible targets.

Two vampires charged Buffy and Xander. Buffy executed a spin kick that propelled her vamp backward into the wall. He pushed off and backhanded her across the face. She blocked several punches and managed a flying kick to the vamp's midriff causing him to stagger back again. Before he could get his balance she whipped out a stake and plunged it into his heart.

She whirled to help Xander only to see the vampire that had attacked him turn to dust. They exchanged puzzled looks and turned as one to move further out onto the factory floor.

"Where are they?" Xander shook his head. "I don't get it."

"Buffy! Oz is over there!" Willow shouted. "Hey! Get away from him!"

Buffy looked up at the catwalk to see Willow point the crossbow and pull the trigger. She sprinted across the floor following the clattering of the quarrel as it hit the far wall. Oz lay trussed on the floor, a vampire bent over him. He was looking up with a startled expression at Willow on the catwalk.

"Hey, fangface! Get off him!" Buffy grabbed the vamp's tunic and pulled him up. She fell backwards still holding onto him and kicked out with her legs, boosting the vamp up and over to crash onto the floor on his back. She completed her somersault with a twisting handspring to land on her feet looking down at him. She deftly dusted the vamp and turned back to Oz.

Xander was working at the rope binding Oz's hands. He looked up at Buffy and grinned. "What, no pun?"

"Thought I should try Giles' advice at least once." She knelt beside him, grasped the rope and pulled, separating the strands. "You know, the old 'plunge and move on' routine."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate hearing it." He looked down at Oz and added, "He's been beat up pretty bad. How're we gonna get him out of here if there are more of the Sect around?"

Buffy shook her head. "Let's just see if we can get him to wake up first, huh? We'll deal with the rest as it comes."

"How is he?" Willow called anxiously.

"Not too good. Do you see any more vamps?" Buffy looked around the factory floor. The place felt deserted.

"No. Should I come down and help?"

Buffy glanced at Xander. "We'll meet you at the stairs." They finished undoing the ropes around Oz's legs. Buffy gently felt the back of his head and was relieved not to find any large bumps. She lightly tapped him on the face, hoping to wake him but only eliciting a few groans.

"I think we'll have to carry him." Xander frowned. "Maybe if you put him over my shoulder I could do that. Then you'll be free in case we're attacked."

She nodded and effortlessly lifted Oz. Xander stood and Buffy placed Oz over his shoulder so that Xander could grip his legs.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. At least until we get out of here."

She turned and smiled to herself when she heard Xander mutter under his breath, _Oh no, my masculinity's not at all threatened._

Willow was already waiting for them by the time they reached the stairs. She wanted to make sure that Oz was alive and insisted they stop for a moment so she could check.

"Look, Will," Buffy said urgently, "I know you're worried about him. But if we don't get out of here it isn't going to matter. He's still breathing, and that's the best we can do right now. Let's go!"

"OK," Willow said. Her eyes were huge, her voice subdued. "You're right. We need to get out of here before the Sect comes back."

"Finally," Xander said with a sigh.

They quickly retraced their steps to the darkened hallway where Buffy hefted the duffel bag. They made it out the rear entrance, meeting no resistance on their way, and didn't stop until they were across the street and several blocks away from the factory. Buffy signaled a rest once she realized the rasping noise she was hearing was Xander's labored breathing. She helped him lower Oz to the sidewalk, where Willow gently took his head in her lap.

"He'll be all right, won't he?" Willow looked up at Buffy fearfully.

Buffy looked at Oz uneasily. "Maybe we should take him to the emergency room instead of to Giles'. They could check him out--"

Suddenly Oz groaned and contorted his body. His eyes flew open and he fought against Xander's hands holding him down.

"Oz! It's me! You're safe!" Willow cried.

His violent motions ceased at the sound of Willow's voice and he gazed up at her with a small smile on his face. Xander let go of his arms. Oz raised a hand to her cheek.

"You'll be all right. We're taking you to the emergency room." Willow sniffed back the tears that threatened to spill over her cheeks.

"No," he whispered, his voice raspy. "No hospital. Don't need it."

"You're in pretty bad shape." Xander frowned. "Are you sure? It might be a good idea."

"No. Heal fast. Wolf." He closed his eyes for a moment.

"You mean you heal fast because of the werewolf thing?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah."

Buffy glanced at Willow. "It's your call."

Willow nodded. "He does heal fast. We'll take him back to Giles'."

Buffy gestured to Xander. "Let's see if he can stand on his own feet. Be easier to help him walk than to carry him."

Together they eased Oz upright, bracing him between them with his arms around their shoulders. Xander added his arm around Oz's waist. Slowly the four of them made their way down the street. Willow scanned the way behind them to make sure nothing was trying to sneak up on them. They stopped frequently to let Oz rest and catch his breath.

By the time they arrived at Giles' complex they were closer to his courtyard entrance than the front door. They decided not to spend the extra energy to go in the front.

As they entered the condo Buffy dropped the duffel and called out, "Giles! Doyle! Where are you?" She let Xander and Willow take care of Oz and went in search of help. The place felt empty. She had that familiar itch between her shoulder blades. Something was wrong.

Buffy reached the living room and frowned. Where were they? She glanced towards the front door and saw Doyle unconscious on the floor. She dropped to her knees and reached out to shake his shoulder. He made a little noise and she shook harder.

"Doyle. Wake up!" Buffy tapped him lightly on the cheek. She needed him to wake up and tell her what happened. "Come on."

He groaned and put his hands to his head.

"Finally." Buffy stood up. "Doyle, what happened?"

Doyle squinted at her. "Want to give me a hand up here, princess?"

She took the hand he held out and hauled him to his feet. "Where's Giles?"

"I need to sit down." He walked unsteadily over to the couch.

"Doyle!"

"Keep your shirt on. I'm tryin' to remember." He frowned and looked at the door. "Someone came."

"Who?" She tried not to sound anxious.

"Someone lookin' for you." He glanced at her. "Your Watcher didn't like it, I can tell you that."

Buffy shook her head. Who'd come looking for her here that Giles would have objected to, she wondered? Her eyes widened. "You don't mean Brian Callahan?" He wouldn't have come here, would he?

"Callahan. That's it." Doyle nodded. "They had words."

"Words?"

"Yeah. Your Watcher wouldn't let him in. Pushed him outside in fact. I could hear 'em through the door." He had the grace to blush. "Not that I was eavesdroppin'. I just wanted to make sure I was available if he needed help. Guess it didn't do much good. I heard what sounded like a fight and opened the door. The next thing I know you're yellin' at me to wake up."

Puzzled, Buffy walked over to the closed door. "But where's Giles? I don't understand." There wasn't anything unusual in the entryway. She opened the front door. "Oh my god!"

An unconscious Brian Callahan was draped across the front step. She put her hand on his throat and was relieved to find a pulse. She checked for bite marks and frowned when she didn't find any.

"Buff?" Xander asked from the doorway. "Who's that?"

"Brian Callahan." She glanced back at him. "Help me get him inside. Maybe he can tell us what happened to Giles."

"So this is Callahan, huh?" Xander stared down at the man, a strange expression on his face.

"Yeah. Why?"

He shook his head. "Oh, no reason. No reason at all. Let's move him."

She lifted Callahan by the shoulders and Xander took his legs. Together they carried him inside and dumped him on the couch. Doyle had moved to the chair. Buffy went back to the entry and scanned the area hoping to find Giles somewhere nearby. She pushed back the fear that roiled in her stomach when she didn't find him and returned inside.

"Where'd you put Oz?" She asked Xander.

"We took him upstairs. Didn't think Giles'd mind. Willow's making sure he's okay."

Buffy nodded. "Good." She began to pace the room. "Where is he?" She stopped in front of Doyle.

"I don't know," he said troubled. "I can't remember much of anything after openin' the damn door."

"How's Brian?" She jerked her head at the couch.

"Looks like he was hit with something on the back of the head." Xander glanced back at Buffy. "Not Giles' style. He's more of a frontal assault type, at least where humans are concerned."

Buffy went to the weapons closet and pulled out a heavy-duty flashlight. "I'm going to take a better look around the front door. Maybe I missed something. See if you can get him to wake up."

She stepped outside and left the door open. No sense tempting fate, she thought. She swept the area slowly with the high powered light. Nothing. Not even blood. This was all wrong. Giles couldn't have just vanished without a trace. Unbidden Doyle's vision of Giles' body bloody and shackled to the ground entered her mind. She shivered and felt the flesh rise on her arms. Shoulders slumped she wearily turned back to the door.

Buffy stood in front of the couch and watched Xander help a dazed Brian Callahan sit up. Why had Brian come here, she wondered? If he had anything to do with Giles' disappearance she'd see that he'd regret it. Callahan closed his eyes and rested his head in his hands with a groan.

"Brian, what happened?" she asked softly.

His head jerked up. "Buffy! I knew you were here! That lying bastard wasn't going to let me see you. He attacked me."

Her eyes narrowed and her expression hardened. "Giles doesn't lie. I wasn't here when you got here. And you were hit from behind. So, what happened?"

"Buffy," Brian said and then hesitated. He appeared to be weighing his words carefully. "I'm not sure what happened. One minute we were about to come to blows and the next...well, all I remember is a lot of pain. I figured that he wouldn't let me in because he was lying about you being here. And the fact that you're here now, well what am I supposed to think?"

"Think whatever you want. It seems you already have anyway." She closed her eyes.

"Buffy." He waited until she looked at him. His voice was gentle. "Look at your face. He hit you, didn't he? It's obvious that he has a temper and he's prone to violence. I can help you. You don't have to be afraid of him."

Buffy exchanged a glance with Xander. "Now that's really the kind of logic that's...not. You don't have a clue what you're talking about. I'm not afraid of Giles. He's one of the kindest men I've ever met."

Brian shook his head. "He really has you brainwashed, doesn't he?" he asked sadly.

She snorted and threw up her hands. "I don't have time for this nonsense. I need to know what really happened."

"Why don't you ask Giles what happened?"

"I can't. We can't find him." She swallowed heavily.

"I know you won't want to believe it," Brian said gently, "but isn't it possible that he took off because he didn't want to face you?"

"Oh that's rich," Buffy said sarcastically. "There's nothing that Giles could ever do that he'd feel he couldn't face me afterwards. And that means that something's happened to him."

"Nothing?" Brian raised an eyebrow.

Several disjointed images of Giles chased through Buffy's head. Giles still at his desk in the Library after a night of frantic research. Giles fighting a multi-headed demon coming out of the Hellmouth. Giles full of anguish over having injected her with that garbage on her eighteenth birthday. Giles declaring that he'd fight the Master in her place. And a peculiar image that she couldn't quite place of Giles offering her a floating ball of glowing white light. She smiled. "Absolutely nothing."

"If I could just make you see that--"

"Shut up," Buffy said coldly. She clenched her hands and forced herself to breathe slowly. "Right now all I want from you is whatever you can tell me about what happened. Do you remember anything else? Did you see anyone else?"

Brian frowned. "I...I'm not sure. okay, maybe there was someone else. I have a vague recollection of someone behind Giles, but I thought it was that guy." He pointed to Doyle.

Doyle shook his head. "Don't think so. Can't be positive, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't me."

Buffy took a deep breath. "OK. So we know someone smacked him on the back of the head. And got Doyle from the front. We gotta assume that they took Giles, too. There must have been more than one or two of them." She looked at Xander. "I think we just figured out where the rest of the Sect went."

"Yeah," he replied, troubled. "But why?"

"Sect? What sect?" Brian asked, confusion on his face. "What are you talking about?"

Buffy ignored him and turned to Doyle. "We have to figure out where they are, where they'll take Giles. Did you come up with anything while we were rescuing Oz?"

"What--" Brian started to stand up, only to be pushed back down by Xander.

"I don't think now is a good time," Xander said softly. "Just sit there and be quiet. You took a nasty hit on the head. Wouldn't want you to get another one so soon."

Doyle looked up at Buffy and shook his head. "I hadn't found anything. Your Watcher was workin' at his desk. I don't think he'd found anything before lover boy here showed up." He held up his hands. "Sorry."

Buffy sat down at the desk. Giles' notes were stacked neatly in front of her. She shuffled through his notes and sighed. Maybe Willow could make some sense of this, she thought in frustration.

"I need to talk to Will," she said abruptly and stood up. She caught Xander's eye and added, "Make sure he doesn't go anywhere."

Xander nodded.

Buffy picked up the notes and walked upstairs, ignoring the sound of Brian calling her name. She stopped in the doorway to Giles' bedroom. Willow sat on the bed next to a prone Oz. They were talking quietly. She knocked softly on the doorframe and smiled at Willow when she turned.

"Hey Will. Oz." Buffy entered the room.

"Buffy." Oz's voice sounded rusty.

"How're you doing?" she asked quietly. "You look better."

"Feel better." He gave her his small smile.

"He's healing really fast. But he's awfully weak." Willow smiled up at Buffy.

"Great. Will, I need you to look over Giles' notes and see if he discovered anything about where the Destroyer or the Sect might be."

Willow frowned. "Why don't you just ask Giles?"

Buffy sighed. "He's not here. We think the Sect may have him. Doyle was knocked out. He didn't see what happened."

"Sect?" asked Oz.

"The Sect of Septimius. They're the vamps that attacked you and Xander." Buffy said. "We think the reason there were only a few of them left at the factory is because the rest came here."

"Is Doyle okay?" Willow asked.

"Yeah. But it just gets better. Brian Callahan came here. He's why Giles was outside and vulnerable. They were arguing when the Sect attacked. Brian was knocked out." Buffy shook her head.

Willow and Oz exchanged glances and Oz asked, "Who or what is the Destroyer?"

"He's the demon I told you about. The one in the vision Doyle had." Willow's eyes widened and she looked at Buffy. "What if the Sect is taking Giles to the Destroyer?"

Buffy swallowed and said, "I already thought of that. No offense Oz, but I think they took you to get me out of the way. It worked like a charm. I fell for it just like I always do. And now Giles is in danger somewhere, probably being tortured." Her voice broke.

"Buffy, it's not your fault," Willow said, her face troubled. "Would you have left Oz in their hands if you knew what might happen?"

"No," she whispered. "I couldn't do that."

"And Giles wouldn't let you do that even if you'd suggested it." Willow touched her arm. "You can't blame yourself."

"Oz, did the vamps say anything while they had you? Maybe something that could tell us where they took Giles?" Buffy asked hopefully.

"Not really." Oz shrugged slightly. "To be honest I was a little busy trying to protect myself from being beat to a pulp. I wasn't really concentrating on anything they might be saying."

Buffy nodded and sighed wearily.

Willow bit her lip. "Don't worry. We'll find him. Here, let me see those notes."

Buffy silently handed her the papers. She watched Willow look through several of them and frown. "What is it?"

"It looks like he retranslated the prophecy." She glanced up at Buffy and then back down at the notes.

"What's it say? Is it all that different?"

Willow shook her head. "Not really that different. Just a few subtle changes. It says: _The Destroyer shall wield the Hammer and the Stone under the Dome of Heaven. The blood of the Cherished shall feed the Stone. The curtain of night shall be parted and the firmament shall tremble. As above, so below. As below, so above. The fate of the world rests in the hands of the Renunciate. In amore veritas. Woe to mankind when the demons walk the Earth._ Like I said, not too different."

"Anything else? Anything we could use to find him?" Buffy asked anxiously.

"I don't know. Let me go through these, okay? Maybe Oz and I can find something."

"Dome of Heaven?" asked Oz. He frowned slightly.

Willow turned to him. "Yeah. Why?"

"I think I remember one of the vamps saying something about a 'Dome of Heaven' while they were tying me up. Something about they'd meet there or something. I didn't remember until I heard the phrase again. But that's all I remember."

"At least it's something." Willow glanced between Oz and Buffy.

Buffy nodded slowly. "I just feel so helpless."

"Don't worry," Oz rasped. "We'll find something."

Buffy reached out and touched his hand gently. "I know Oz. And I'm glad we got you back."

He nodded once and squeezed her hand.

"What are you going to do about Brian Callahan?" Willow asked.

"I don't know." She sighed. "I'd like to just tell him to get lost, but what if I'm wrong? What if he has something to do with this? Or, what if he remembers something we need to know? I guess I'll have to ask him to stay."


	6. Chapter 6

Giles groaned and opened his eyes to darkness. He reached for the lamp by his bed to turn on the light and discovered that he was shackled to chains connected to a wall. He was lying on a carpeted floor and not in his bed. This definitely wasn't his bedroom. He tried to make out any shape in the dark and couldn't. He fought down panic as he realized it wasn't just very dark, but it was as if there was a total absence of light. His heart raced and his breathing quickened and became shallow as he contemplated the possibilities. What bothered him most was that he couldn't remember how he'd gotten to wherever he was.

He tried to concentrate. He could remember sitting at his desk going over the translation of the prophecy and not being satisfied with it. The doorbell had rung and Doyle had opened the door to find Callahan on the front step. He smiled ruefully at himself as he recalled arguing with Callahan and then threatening him if he continued to bother Buffy. Giles frowned into the darkness. He remembered trying to pull Callahan out of the way when a vampire attacked the man from behind. What happened next was a blur. He put together fragmented images of Doyle and more vampires wearing the black and red uniforms of the Sect of Septimius. And then oblivion.

Giles shook his head and immediately regretted it. Gingerly he touched the back of his head and winced when his fingers found a tender lump. He'd been knocked out again. He pressed his lips together to prevent the hysterical laughter that threatened to bubble out when he thought about Cordelia's nonsensical assertion that one of these days he was going to wake up in a coma. Damn it, he thought. He had to get a grip on himself and figure out how to get out this.

He took several deep, steadying breaths and grabbed hold of one of the chains attached to the manacles on his wrists. He traced the chain the short distance to the ring it was attached to on the wall. His hands ran lightly over the wall and he was surprised to discover that it was covered in what felt like wood paneling. Giles moved along the wall as far as the chains would allow and found what felt like a built-in bookcase. He could only reach part way into the shelves and was disappointed to find them empty.

He turned and felt along the wall in the opposite direction. Nothing. Just more paneling. He stretched the chains out as far as they would go and reached out with his leg. Nothing. Giles yanked at the chains and pounded his fist against the wall in frustration. Muttering obscenities under his breath, he turned and slid down to sit with his back pressed against the wall. If he couldn't pull out the chains, he thought, maybe he could figure a way to unlock the manacles.

Using touch alone he examined the metal ring circling his left wrist. He felt the opening of the lock with his fingertips and sighed. It was too small to pick it with anything crude and he didn't have a fine lock pick on him. He tried working the metal over his hand and only stopped when he realized he was rubbing the skin raw. The manacle fit like a tight bracelet. At least he needn't contemplate trying to break his hand to make it fit through the opening he thought with a shudder.

Giles didn't know how long he sat in the dark waiting for whoever or whatever was to come. He spent the time alternating between worrying about what was happening with Buffy and the others, and performing various meditation techniques that he knew in order to stay calm. He had no doubt that she would eventually figure out where he'd been taken. He only hoped he could hold on long enough for her rescue.

He was beginning to wonder if he was meant to die of thirst when he heard a slight squeaking noise. He squinted across the room and was rewarded by a sliver of light. He'd been in the dark too long and knew his eyes would be dazzled if he didn't take precautions, so he shaded his eyes against what he hoped to be the light coming through an open door.

A vampire in the red and black uniform of the Sect of Septimius entered silently carrying a tray. He put the tray down just out of Giles' reach and pushed it until Giles could touch it.

Giles' hand closed on the edge of the tray. His eyes darted around the room and he tried to memorize the features he saw while he had light. The vampire turned to leave only to freeze at Giles' words.

"Wait!" Giles was desperate for information. "Where am I? What do you want?"

The vamp stood for a moment facing the doorway and then exited without saying a word, closing the door behind him.

Giles fought back a moan as the darkness engulfed him once again. He pulled the tray closer and brought the mug to his nose. He sniffed suspiciously, but didn't smell anything out of the ordinary so he put it to his lips and sipped. It tasted like plain water and he gulped at it. If it contained anything else he'd just have to deal with it, he thought. He was too thirsty to pass up the chance to drink. Especially since he didn't know when the next opportunity would occur.

He was more cautious with the bowl. He sniffed at it as he had the water, but he couldn't identify whatever it was. Giles dipped a finger into the thick liquid and touched it to his tongue, only to turn and spit it out. He couldn't identify the taste, but instinctively knew something was wrong with it. He finished the water and leaned back against the wall to wait and to think about what he'd seen in the brief moments he'd had light.

The room puzzled him. Rich mahogany paneling covered the walls. Bare recessed bookshelves and niches that looked like they may have once held first editions and fine statuary dotted the walls. There were no windows and the quick glance he'd had of the door had shown that it would close seamlessly into the wall. The plush pile carpet was beautiful in subtle shades of rose and cream. The room was empty. Giles had the impression that it should contain heavy wooden furniture, perhaps a desk and chairs, but definitely something expensive. Where was he, he wondered?

He was surprised when the door opened again after what seemed like only a short time. Three of the Sect entered. One vampire stood back and watched while the others unfastened his chains from the wall. The two each took a firm grip on the chains and yanked him to his feet. Giles tried to pull back and jerk the chains out of their hands, but the third vamp swiftly stepped up and backhanded him across the face. Giles' head snapped back from the blow and he caught his breath in a muted groan.

The third vamp turned and left the room. The others pulled on the chains, half dragging Giles behind them. He tried to find the fine line of resisting without being punished. He dragged his feet and took hold of the chains in his hands to put some of his weight into the resistance. He was being dragged down a short corridor that had distinctly religious overtones in its decorations. He looked around as best he could and was shocked to realize that he must be in a church of some sort.

They jerked him out of the corridor onto the chancel and he recognized the trappings of the desecrated altar as most likely Catholic in origin. The fancy room he'd been held in finally made some sense to him. His prison had undoubtedly been a priest's office. What continued to puzzle him was why the place felt abandoned when it was so obviously well maintained.

The two vampires yanked on the chains to halt him and he looked up. The site that greeted him sent a tremor down his spine. Buffy's demon, the Destroyer, stood in the pulpit watching him with an evil gleam in his eyes. Giles sighed and prepared himself for the worst.

"So you are the key." The demon spit the words out from a mouth crammed with pointed teeth. He sounded almost amused. "If I'd known you would be so easy to take I would have come after you myself. No matter. I have you now and soon the Curtain of Night will part and demons will once again walk freely on the earth. And we'll owe it all to you." He chuckled evilly.

Giles clenched his fists and glared at the demon. "I shan't help you, you know. Besides, it'll do you no good. It won't be long now before help comes."

The Destroyer waived his hand negligibly. "You mean the Slayer? Oh I truly doubt that. By this time the Slayer and all her little playmates have been dealt with. There will be no Renunciate to come to the rescue of her Cherished one."

Giles head jerked back and his eyes narrowed. "Why did you call her that?" he asked flatly.

"Renunciate?" The Destroyer laughed contemptuously. "Surely you've figured out that riddle by now? No? Think, little man, what makes someone a 'Renunciate'? Ah, I see that the answer is beginning to dawn on you."

Giles' mind whirled. Buffy was the Renunciate? Because she'd 'renounced' the Council? But what on earth made him the 'Cherished', he wondered? Hope flared. The demon must have made an error and confused him with Angel. He shook his head. "I believe you've made a serious mistake."

The demon frowned. "Oh? And what would that be?"

Giles laughed mirthlessly. "You've chosen the wrong person for the role of the Cherished. Too bad. You might actually have had a chance with this otherwise."

The Destroyer slowly closed the distance between them. He reached out and grasped Giles' chin in a crushing grip that didn't allow him to turn away. He forced Giles' head back and forth and then looked him deep in the eyes for several moments. Nodding as if satisfied the demon returned to his original position on the pulpit.

"You are mistaken, little man. You are the one I need." The Destroyer smiled cruelly. "And you shall provide me with much sport before the appointed time."

Giles' stomach clenched and he closed his eyes. He remembered Doyle's vision and prayed he had enough strength and courage to keep from begging for mercy. When he opened his eyes he found the demon staring at him thoughtfully.

The Destroyer abruptly gestured to the two vamps that were holding his chains. They jerked him down the steps of the chancel to the side of the transept furthest from the pulpit. Giles' eyes were drawn to the depression that had been gouged out of the floor of the nave. He looked up again when he was yanked to a stop. The vamps climbed ladders to attach the chains to rings set in the ceiling. When they were done they folded the ladders and carried them away.

Giles pulled on the chains. He could bring his hands down almost to the top of his head, but no further. He was chained facing the nave of the church and he wasn't close enough to the transept wall to reach it, even with his feet. He glanced up at the ceiling and caught his breath. The Dome of Heaven, he thought bleakly.

The Destroyer stepped down into the nave followed by a large vampire of the Sect carrying a curious looking whip. Giles swallowed heavily and fought down his fear. He'd never seen one in person, but the whip had to be a cat-o'-nine-tails. The end of each lash was tipped with a metal spur.

"Remember, you are not to touch his face, nor below the waist," the Destroyer admonished the vampire. "At least not yet. Now we shall see what you are made of, little man." The demon gestured to the vampire to begin.

Giles watched in horrified fascination as the vamp shook out the whip and began twirling it around his head. His eyes tracked the metal tips as they snapped around and around until they began to descend. He tensed in anticipation of the first blow. The tips of the lashes grazed his chest from his left shoulder, across and down his ribcage, ripping through his shirt and drawing blood from shallow cuts. His nostrils flared and he pressed his lips together tightly.

Giles' body flinched with each bite of the whip. His breathing became labored and soon he was panting. He fought to keep from crying out, but as the whip whirled faster and cut deeper, small moans and gasps were wrenched from him. He watched the demon through a red haze of pain.

The Destroyer mocked him. "Cry out, little man. You have no reason to be brave. I wish to hear your pain. Please me and perhaps I'll make it stop. At least for a little while."

Giles gritted out through clenched teeth, "Pillock. I've been tortured by the best. You're not even in the same league." He never thought he'd have reason to be grateful for the pain he'd endured at Angelus' hands. If all the Destroyer could use was pain then Giles was sure he could hold out, at least until he lapsed into unconsciousness. He was determined not to give the demon the satisfaction of seeing him break.

"We shall see," the demon said darkly. He signaled to the vampire wielding the whip to begin again.

The vamp methodically marked his torso from neck to waist, front to back, and then turned the whip on his arms. Blood ran freely down Giles' body, staining his jeans. His body jerked and spasmed each time the metal spurs bit into his tender flesh.

Giles tried to concentrate on something, anything else. The first image that entered his mind was of Buffy's awe-struck face illuminated by the glow of their joined souls as she stood before him, her hands in his, during the Spell of Completion. He clung desperately to that vision and tried to shove the pain into a locked corner of his mind where it couldn't touch him. But finally, overcome by the intensity of the pain, Giles slumped, his unconscious body hanging from the chains.


	7. Chapter 7

Willow sat on the edge of the bed and shuffled Giles' notes. She kept searching through them, hoping that she would see something she'd missed last night. No matter how many times she looked at them all she saw was his comments on the translation. And she couldn't make anything new out of that.

"Will?" Oz asked softly.

Willow looked up. "Hey sweetie. Do you need something?" She gazed at his bruised face and smiled warmly.

"Help me sit up?"

She frowned. "Are you sure you should?"

He nodded. "I'm sore, but it's not too bad."

She helped him push himself up, and propped a couple of pillows behind him. He settled back against them and made himself comfortable.

"What time is it?"

"Almost 5:00pm. Are you hungry?" Willow took his hand.

"I could eat. Can you use some help?"

Willow sighed again. "I could use a lot of help. I've gone over and over Giles' notes, but all I can't come up with anything. Do you want to take a look at it?" She held out the sheaf of papers to him.

Willow watched while Oz slowly looked through the notes. He paused a couple of times and set those pages aside. Finally he glanced at her with a small smile.

"Did you find something?" she asked eagerly.

"Possibilities," he said. "We need to go downstairs."

"Are you sure you're ready for that?" she asked anxiously. "Maybe you should just tell me what to do and stay up here."

He shook his head slightly. "I can do it if you'll help me."

"Okay," Willow said dubiously.

She stood and helped him slide to the edge of the bed. Oz placed his hands on her shoulders and levered himself up. He kept one arm around her shoulder and she put her arm around his waist. He was a bit wobbly, but together they made their way slowly down the stairs to the living room.

Willow led him over to the couch and gently helped him sit down. She glanced around the empty room curiously and frowned. Where was everyone? She was relieved when Doyle walked into the living room from the direction of the bathroom.

"Willow. Oz." Doyle sat on the coffee table across from them. "How're you feelin', man?"

"Better."

"Doyle? Where is everyone?" Willow asked.

"Buffy said something about needin' to get out for a bit. Said to tell you that she'd be over at her mother's house. Xander volunteered to bring back dinner. Callahan went with him. Should be back any time now."

"Brian's still here?" Willow bit her bottom lip. "What did Buffy tell him last night?"

Doyle's mouth twitched and he said solemnly, "Not much. She just said she wanted him to stay here and he didn't argue. I think what convinced him was the little talk Xander had with him while she was upstairs with you. The man can be persuasive when he wants to be."

"Xander?" Willow glanced at Oz. "What did he say?" More importantly, she thought, what does Brian know about what's going on?

"I think you better ask him that question." Doyle grinned.

"Have you found anything?" Oz asked.

Doyle shook his head. "Not really."

"Oz has some ideas," Willow said brightly.

"Let's hear them. Lord knows I'm fresh out."

Oz handed Doyle the pages he'd set aside from Giles' notes. "You know that Giles redid the translation. Most of his notes are about that. But these pages had some additional comments on them. Maybe they'll help."

Doyle glanced at the notes. "Maybe. It's not lookin' good here. The longer the Sect has him the more likely it is that they've turned him over to the demon."

Willow said troubled, "You think the Destroyer already has him, don't you?"

Doyle sighed. "Yes. I do."

Oz squeezed her hand. "We'll find him."

Doyle glanced at Oz and then Willow. "Can I ask you somethin'?"

Willow shrugged. "I guess."

"I was told how it is between all of you. You know, that you and Oz are a couple, that Xander used to date Cordelia, and such."

"Uh-huh. What's your question?"

"It's just that I was under the impression that, well, that Buffy was in love with Angel." Doyle looked at her seriously.

Willow nodded. "Buffy loves Angel. Yeah. And?"

"If she's so in love with Angel, then what's going on with her Watcher?"

"What?" Willow frowned. "What do you mean?"

Oz touched her on the arm and smiled enigmatically. "Change. Buffy knows, but she doesn't know."

Doyle looked askance at Oz. "And what about him, then?"

"The same."

Doyle shook his head in wonder. "That's why they couldn't figure out that damn prophecy."

"Oz? What do you mean? What are you talking about?" Willow asked in confusion. He couldn't be saying what she thought he was saying, could he? "Buffy loves Angel."

Oz nodded. "She loves Angel. But she's not in love with Angel."

"But...but Angel is the love of her life!" Willow sounded unsure, even to herself.

"Maybe. I don't think so though." Oz shook his head again. "Don't get me wrong. I like Angel. At least when he's Angel and not Angelus."

"How can you say he's not though? You didn't sit with her all those nights while she cried over him. Her heart really was breaking." Willow felt indignant that he might think Buffy and Angel's love wasn't the great romance of all time.

"I'm sure it hurt. Angel's a great tragic figure. But he was never real. There was never going to be a happy ending and she always knew it. He was safe."

Willow's jaw dropped. "Safe? Being in love with a vampire was safe?"

"Yeah. It meant she didn't have to make any real effort with a human. You've seen how relieved she gets when things don't work out with her date-du-jour. Take Brian Callahan, for instance."

Doyle cleared his throat. "If it helps any, well, I know Angel loves her. But he's movin' on with his life. And he's made it clear that he wants her to move on as well."

Willow frowned. "I suppose. And I thought the thing with Brian fell apart because he acted all jealous of...oh. I guess I've been living in the state of denial."

A corner of Oz's mouth turned up. "There's been a lot going on lately."

Willow nodded. She turned to Doyle. "Why did you say that's why they couldn't figure out the prophecy?"

He grinned. "Because if it doesn't say Watcher and Slayer they obviously don't think it applies to them. And since the prophecy talked about the 'Cherished' and the 'Renunciate', well, that must not be them. But it's right in front of their noses."

Willow's eyes widened. "I am such an idiot! Of course. The Renunciate has to be Buffy. She renounced the Council. That makes Giles the Cherished. That's got to be it."

"What's it?" Xander asked. He swung the door open further and walked in carrying two large pizza boxes. Brian Callahan followed behind him carrying two six packs of soda.

"Um, nothing. We were just talking about that translation work we've been doing. Stuffy old dead languages." Willow smiled brightly.

Xander winked at her. "That's okay, Will. I told Brian about the research project we've been working on. You know, that's why we're all over here so much and all."

Willow blinked rapidly. "Oh. Yeah. We do a lot of research for, um, with Giles. Big project."

Xander turned to Callahan. "Why don't you put those in the 'fridge? Thanks." Xander set the pizza boxes down on the coffee table next to Doyle.

"Xander," Willow hissed, "what did you tell him?"

"Just what I said. That we're working on a big research project with Giles. I didn't go into details, just that it involved translating dead languages and lots of mythological-type stuff. That way when we talk about demons he'll think we're talking about ancient stories and cultures."

"And he believed you?" Willow asked in disbelief.

Xander nodded. "I think he was desperate for a reasonable explanation. You know, kind of like Buffy's mom used to be? As long as there was a straw out there, he was willing to grab it no matter how flimsy it was."

"Good thinking," Oz said.

"Yeah. Well, I wasn't actually able to explain away what happened to you. I finally told him you'd been mugged and had a fear of hospitals. And that Buffy's bruise on her face happened when we scared off the muggers." Xander shrugged.

"Sounds plausible." Oz almost smiled.

"Uh-huh." Xander looked uncomfortable. "The hard part has been answering questions about Buffy and Giles without answering the questions, if you know what I mean. I shoulda been a tap-dancer."

Doyle snorted. "Cordelia said you had a glib tongue. I'm beginnin' to believe she was right."

Xander turned an intense gaze on him. "What else did Cordy say?"

"Not much." Doyle shook his head with a smile.

They all turned when Callahan entered the room. He wore a small smile and carried a stack of plates.

"I thought maybe you'd want these," he said hesitantly, as if unsure of his welcome.

"Thank you," Willow replied. She smiled and gestured for him to join them on the couch.

Callahan glanced at Oz. "I was sorry to hear about your attack. Are you okay?"

Oz nodded. "Yeah. Just a few aches left."

Callahan looked around. "Buffy isn't back?" he asked quietly.

"Not yet." Doyle lifted the lid on one of the pizza boxes, took a slice and handed the box round.

They'd started on the second box when the front door opened and Buffy walked inside.

"Hey Buff. You're just in time for the last of the pizza." Xander handed her a plate.

"Thanks, but I'll pass," she said. "I'm not really all that hungry." She leaned dejectedly against Giles' desk.

Willow worried at her bottom lip and studied her friend. Buffy had a far away look in her eyes and seemed more depressed than Willow could remember seeing her in a long time. Willow glanced at Doyle and decided that she wasn't the only one to see it. Doyle was watching Buffy with a shrewd expression on his face.

"Where've you been, princess?" Doyle asked slyly. "We've been here researchin' while you've been out doin' what?"

Buffy bristled. "I told you to stop calling me that. I was checking some things out on my own. I went to the planetarium at the museum, and then over to the Astronomy Department at UCS. The department has a small planetarium. Unfortunately the Observatory outside town was too far."

"Bad idea," Doyle said soberly.

"He's right, Buffy. You should have told us. We would have gone with you." Willow added. She wasn't surprised that Buffy had gone off on her own, but it always scared her that one day her friend would do that and run into something she couldn't handle alone.

"I'm not sure I understand," Brian said, puzzled. "Why shouldn't Buffy go to those places alone? I didn't know you were interested in astronomy." He glanced at Buffy.

She shook her head. "I'm interested in a lot of things. And my friends are a little over-protective. But I'm fine. I didn't find anything." She gave them all a look that clearly said to drop it.

Xander cleared his throat. "So. About that translating. We've been concentrating on the 'Dome of Heaven' phrase. I guess we can cross a few things off the list." He looked at Willow and Oz.

Oz nodded. "I thought of those, too."

Brian frowned. "Dome of heaven? That's funny."

Willow turned to him. "What's funny."

"It's just funny that you're translating some ancient text that has the phrase 'dome of heaven' in it. I read an article a few months ago that used that same phrase."

"What was it about?" Buffy asked intently.

Startled, Brian said, "It was an article on renovations of buildings in Sunnydale. The phrase had something to do with one of the buildings, but I don't remember which one it was."

"Do you remember when you read the article?" Xander asked.

Brian shook his head. "Like I said, it was a few months ago. Maybe two or three. It was in the Sunnydale Herald." He shrugged.

Willow glanced around the room. "I can go online and start searching. If we're lucky I can search on the phrase itself. If not, I can still search for the type of article." She stood up resolutely and went to the dining table where her laptop still sat, followed by Buffy. Willow turned on the laptop and logged onto her ISP. A few minutes later she groaned.

"What is it Will?" Buffy asked anxiously.

Willow shook her head. "The Herald's computer must be down. Their web server is offline." She thought for a moment. "Okay. I'll have to use a different angle. The library may have the Herald's articles indexed. Let me try there."

Willow connected to the Sunnydale library system, but it only indicated that they had microfiche copies of the Herald available. Next she tried UC Sunnydale. The library didn't have an index of the Herald, but the Journalism Department did. It took an hour of refining her searching before she found the article.

"Buffy, look at this." Willow whispered excitedly. She glanced into the living room at the four men and then back at the screen. Willow quickly skimmed the article until she the phrase. "Here it is. _Experts in historical reconstruction have been contracted for the restoration of the dome. The intent is to completely repair and restore the original art of the Dome of Heaven._ It's referring to the Cathedral of the Holy Name. The Catholic Church is having it renovated. It's been closed for construction for the last three months." She looked at Buffy in triumph.

Buffy's face shown with hope. "That has to be it! Oh Will!" She hugged her friend fiercely.

Willow watched Buffy get up and stride to the closet where Giles kept the weapons locked. She looked into the living room in shock. What would they tell Brian? She jumped up and rushed to Oz.

"Find what you were looking for?" Xander asked.

Willow could tell he was trying for casual, but she knew him well enough to see his tension. She nodded. "The Cathedral of the Holy Name. It's being renovated."

"All right then. Guess it's time for a road trip." Xander looked at Oz. "I think this time we better take some wheels. Can we borrow your van?"

Oz nodded. "I'm going with you."

"No. You're not," Doyle said. "Think, man. You barely made it downstairs with help. Fast healer or not, you aren't much use right now. Going along will only get someone hurt lookin' out for you. Is that what you want?"

Oz stared at Doyle for a beat and then said, "No." He fished his keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Xander. "The van's at the house."

"Thanks," Xander said and stood up. He moved to the front door and called back over his shoulder. "Tell Buffy that I'll be right back. Don't let her leave without me."

"What's happening?" Brian asked. He frowned at Willow. "There's more going on here than just a research project, isn't there? Look, I'm not stupid. Maybe there's something I can help with."

Willow exchanged looks with Doyle. "Brian--"

"There's nothing you can do," Buffy cut in. "Except stay here with Oz. We're going to have to leave in a few minutes and I don't want him left alone in his condition. Will you do that for me?"

Brian regarded her silently for a moment. "All right. But I want to talk to you before you leave. In private?"

Willow could see the conflict in her friend's face. She knew Buffy's instinct was to run to the Cathedral on her own, right now, to try to rescue Giles. But she could also see that Buffy knew her chances of success would be much greater if she waited for Xander and the van, and planned their attack. Willow released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding when Buffy finally nodded. Now, thought Willow, they'd see if they'd figured out where Giles was in time. Her mind shied away from the thought of what they might find when they reached the Cathedral.


	8. Chapter 8

"Will? Do me a favor?" Buffy asked. "Can you find the blueprints for the Cathedral online?"

"I should be able to come up with them." Willow nodded and returned to her laptop.

"Good. We need to figure out a way in that they won't expect. Like we did last year with the Mayor." Buffy ignored Brian's raised eyebrow. She wasn't sure what she was going to tell him, but she was more concerned about saving Giles than wasting time trying to hide things from him.

"Xander went to get my van," Oz said. "You may need it."

"Good thinking. We should have done that before we went to find you. Maybe we would have made it back here in time." Buffy couldn't quite keep the bitterness out of her voice. "I'm sorry, Oz. I don't mean that it's your fault. It's just that I feel like I should have seen this coming and handled it better."

Oz shook his head. "I know what you meant. But it's not your fault either."

"Seems like we can waste precious time passin' out blame or we can talk about your plan. What's it to be, princess?" Doyle raised his eyebrows.

Buffy closed her eyes and told herself not to react. After all, he was right, she thought. She looked him straight in the eye and said, "You're right. We need a plan. That's why I asked Will to get the blueprints."

Doyle grinned impudently at her. "That's the spirit. I'm all for chargin' in all John Wayne-like, but my first inclination is usually the wrong one. So, what's your idea?"

Buffy took a deep breath. "We leave someone outside with the van and the rest of us go in and bring Giles out. I'm hoping there's a rooftop access that will show up on the blueprints. We'll just have to bring as many weapons as we can and assess the situation when we're inside since we don't have any way of knowing what we'll find."

"I wonder..." Doyle trailed off thoughtfully.

"What?" Buffy frowned.

"It's a Catholic church, no? A cathedral?"

"Yeah. Of course, a cathedral in Sunnydale probably isn't going to be as fancy as a cathedral in, say, New York. Do you have something?"

"Maybe. I'll know when we see those blueprints." Doyle refused to say anything more.

Buffy looked at Brian. He was watching the others and frowning. She was grateful that he'd stopped trying to interrupt, but it also worried her. What was he thinking, she wondered? And what did he want to talk to her about?

"I've got it," Willow called.

They gathered around the table and watched as Willow brought the blueprints up on her laptop. Buffy glanced at Doyle and saw him nodding to himself. What did he have in mind? Doyle went to Giles' desk, picked up a pad of paper and brought it back to the table.

"OK," said Buffy. "What's your idea?"

Doyle quickly drew an outline of the church on the paper. "It's simple, really. This is a cruciform church." At her look he added, "The building is in the form of a cross."

Buffy nodded. "And?"

He drew a circle at the spot where the two parts of the building crossed. "This is where the dome is and if my vision was correct, this is where Giles and the Emerald will be."

"Buffy," Willow said. "There's a choir loft above the spot where the altar stands. It's in front of that area under the dome that Doyle's talking about."

Buffy leaned over her friend's shoulder and watched as Willow traced the loft out on the blueprints. She put her hand on Willow's shoulder and smiled at her. They all looked up as the front door opened and Xander returned.

"Hey guys! I'm back. What've I missed?" Xander joined them around Willow.

"Will's got the blueprints and we're planning our entrance." Buffy smiled grimly at him.

"Cool. Just like with the Mayor." Xander nodded.

"Yeah. Let's hope this goes better than that did." Buffy frowned.

"It will. Don't worry, Buff. We'll get him out." Xander took her hand and looked at her seriously.

She smiled at him and squeezed his hand, grateful for his concern. Buffy tried not to think about what might be happening to Giles at that moment. She knew she had to concentrate on the task before her. She bent down and studied the plans again and found what she was looking for, a vent above the choir loft.

"There. That vent. Is the duct work big enough for us to crawl through?" She glanced at Willow.

Willow scrolled the page down to the table that listed the dimensions. She looked up at Buffy and nodded. "It's the same size as the ducts running through City Hall."

"Great. Oz and I managed to get through those all right during the Hansel and Gretel thing." Xander looked hopeful.

"OK. That's the plan, then. Xander and I'll go through the vent above the choir loft and plan the strategy once we're inside." Buffy straightened.

"I'm going too," Willow said firmly.

"Will--"

"Giles is my friend, too. Oz is safe. I've got to help." Willow's eyes widened and she looked pleadingly at Buffy.

Buffy glanced at Oz and he nodded once. "OK Will. Honestly I'll be glad to have you with us." She turned to Doyle. "You'll drive the van. Think you can handle that?"

"Gee, princess, I don't know. Sure you can trust me with such an important job?" Doyle asked sarcastically.

Buffy looked at him steadily. "I don't really have a choice, do I?" she asked calmly.

He smiled. "No. Guess you don't at that."

"Actually, she does," said Brian.

They all turned to look at him. He was standing across the table, watching them quietly. He hadn't said anything for so long that they'd forgotten he was there.

"You can't," Buffy said softly.

"Why not? Of course, I might be able to answer that if someone would explain what's going on." He raised his eyebrows.

Buffy turned to Doyle. "You're driving the van." She glanced at the others. "Brian and I need to have a quick talk. Xander, start packing the duffel bag."

She turned and walked around the table to take Brian by the arm and pull him toward the stairs. She wasn't about to step outside for privacy and the only other place she could think of was upstairs, though she hated the thought of standing in the middle of Giles' bedroom arguing with Brian. That was just too weird. They were halfway up the stairs when Buffy heard Willow shout.

"Buffy!"

"Willow?" Buffy turned to see her friend standing at the foot of the stairs staring up at them, twisting her hands in agitation.

"Um, I don't think, that is, maybe you shouldn't, er, it's not a good idea..." Willow stammered.

"Spit it out, Will." Buffy frowned.

"You should talk down here and we'll go up there," she said anxiously.

"Don't be silly." What was wrong with her, Buffy wondered? "We'll be down in a minute." Buffy turned back to Brian with a shrug.

They entered the bedroom and stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. Buffy wasn't sure what Brian wanted to say, but she decided to start the conversation and get it over with.

"Brian," she said, "I know you want to help, but there's really nothing you can do."

"There's more going on here than a research project. I'm not letting you leave until you tell me what it is." He folded his arms across his chest.

"You're not?" Buffy was almost amused. Too bad I can't just hit him and go on, she thought as she searched for a plausible story. "But you're right. I mean, we are doing research, but, um, well, you've found out our little secret. We're part of a...a gaming group. You know, like, um, those role-playing games? Demons and dungeons or something. Or those people who fight the Civil War? Only we do um, secret agent stuff." God, was that the lamest thing she'd ever come up with or what, she thought? There was no way he was going to buy it.

Brian raised his eyebrows and dropped his arms. "Seems a little elaborate. But then, I've been to one of those Civil War reenactments. Those folks are intense. If it isn't authentic they won't use it. So, this whole thing with Giles and this Sect you keep talking about is a game?"

"Uh, yeah. The Sect are the bad guys in our game," she said brightly. Jeez, he was buying it, she thought. "They've captured Giles and we have to get him back or lose points. That's why you can't come along. If we bring someone who's not on our, um, team we'll lose the game."

Brian studied her face for a long moment. "OK. I can accept that. You do know you guys are a little intense about this game, don't you? And what was all that about the Mayor?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah. I'm really sorry if you got the wrong idea. The Mayor was the game we played last year. It wasn't anything about Sunnydale's mayor." She crossed her fingers behind her back and smiled brightly at him.

He nodded. "I figured it must be something like that. OK."

"Good. Is that all? Can we go down and join the others now?" Buffy tried not to show how relieved she was that he'd accepted her strange explanation.

He shook his head. "I was curious, I'll admit. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. I want to talk to you about us."

Oh great, she thought. "Brian--"

"No. Please. Hear me out." He looked at her earnestly. "Xander explained about the research project and your relationship with Giles."

"He...did?" Buffy frowned. What exactly had Xander told him, she wondered?

Brian nodded and took a deep breath. "I owe you an apology. I suppose I owe Giles an apology as well. And I'd like to make it up to you. I know you said you didn't think it was a good idea for us to continue to see each other when you called me. But as long as there isn't someone else that you're in love with, well, it just seemed like we were hitting it off pretty well and I'd like the opportunity to change your mind. " He glanced around the room for the first time.

"Brian, I appreciate that you still want to see me. And it isn't that I'm--"

"You lied to me." He turned to her accusingly. "What was the point? Just to make a fool out of me?"

"W-what?" she asked, thoroughly confused.

He strode angrily over to the chair in the corner and picked up a silk tank top. Buffy's overnight bag sat open on the floor next to the chair and more of her clothes were strewn across it. She watched wide-eyed as he touched a sweater that she'd worn on one of their dates.

"You are staying here," he said flatly. "In his bedroom. You must think I'm the biggest idiot around."

"It isn't like--"

"Don't bother to lie to me." He looked at her angrily. "I can't believe this."

Something snapped inside her. Her eyes blazed and she advanced on him. "How dare you!" she said furiously. "What gives you the right to have an opinion? Who made you the boss of me? I told you that I didn't want to see you. That should have been the end of it, but no, that's not good enough for you. I'm through being nice and sensitive about your feelings. Get out!" Her voice raised to a yell. She thumped him on the chest, causing him to pedal backward out of the bedroom.

"Buffy!" He said angrily.

"Don't Buffy, me! I said get out!" She continued to stalk towards him. "Nobody asked you to come here."

"OK! OK! I'm going." He trotted down the stairs and then turned and looked up at her. "I was right about this. I'll bet I was right about the other stuff as well. If you come to your senses about him, you know where you can find me." He stalked out, slamming the front door behind him.

Buffy slowly walked down the stairs to dead quiet. She looked at her friends in shock and saw varying expressions of sympathy and relief on their faces. She took a deep breath and joined them at the table.

"I'm sorry, Buffy," Willow said softly. "It's my fault. Giles was all out of aspirin. I forgot that I'd gone through your overnight bag looking for some for Oz and I hadn't gotten around to straightening up."

Buffy shook her head. "It's OK Will. He was determined to find something to prove he was right. God, what a jerk! At least he's gone now and we don't have to worry about him while we concentrate on rescuing Giles."

"Eh, he wasn't good enough for you, princess," Doyle grinned. "Now, if you ask me--"

"I didn't," Buffy cut in. "So let's just get our stuff together and get out of here. Xander, did you get the bag packed?"

"Yeah. It's over there." He gestured at the duffel bag sitting on the floor in front of the weapons closet.

Buffy knelt and examined the contents. She reached into the closet, pulled out a small box and placed it in the bag. She stood, picked the bag up and looked at them seriously.

"Let's do it."


	9. Chapter 9

Buffy, Willow and Xander walked quietly across the roof of the cathedral toward the entrance to the vent. Doyle and the van were parked down the street and around the corner waiting for them. They reached the vent and Buffy set down the duffel bag. Xander handed her a small screwdriver and she eased the screws out that held the screen cover over the entrance. She set the screen aside carefully.

"Remember, we need to get in without them knowing. I'm betting we'll find the rest of the Sect down there." Buffy looked at them seriously.

Xander nodded. "Don't worry," he whispered. "We'll be quiet as church mice."

Buffy groaned softly. "Whatever. Just be quiet. Ready?"

They nodded and crouched down to follow her into the vent. Buffy pushed the bag slowly ahead of her. They had one bad moment when they came to a 'Y' in the vent and Buffy was unsure of which direction to take. She looked back at Xander and Willow for help. Xander shrugged helplessly. Buffy saw Willow close her eyes and murmur something under her breath. Willow opened her eyes and looked at Buffy. She pointed to the left wing of the 'Y'. Buffy nodded once and turned to the left, pushing the bag ahead of her until they reached the end of the ventilation shaft. Out of curiosity she put her hands on the screen cover and pushed slightly, only to grab for it to keep it from clanging to the floor.

Buffy took a deep breath and quietly lowered the screen to the floor. She gave Xander a sheepish smile over her shoulder and slithered out the vent. She reached up and took the duffel bag he handed down. She crouched down and sat with her back against the wall. Xander and then Willow soon joined her. There were rows of plush seats between them and the railing of the choir loft, obscuring their view.

"We'll have to get closer to the rail to see what's going on," Buffy whispered. She pointed to a spot by the railing that was partially obscured by a stack of plywood. They crawled over to the railing and looked down. Buffy heard Willow's sharp intake of breath and felt Xander's hand on her arm.

Buffy wanted desperately to close her eyes, but she forced herself to look. Giles, her Giles, was off to one side, suspended from the ceiling of the transept by chains connected to metal cuffs circling his wrists. The chains were just short enough to prevent him from dropping to his knees.

His blood-soaked shirt hung in tatters and blood dripped from lacerations that covered his torso and arms. His glasses were missing. Buffy swallowed hard at the thought of someone or some thing ripping those glasses from his face. The rust colored patches and dark, wet looking splotches on his jeans puzzled her, until she realized that his blood caused the discoloration. His eyes were closed and his body hung limply from the chains. His head was bent forward, resting against his upper arm. From the position of his body she thought that he must be unconscious.

Her frantic need to get to Giles and take him to safety grew, threatening to overwhelm her. She felt the urge to just do something, anything, and fought it down as best she could. If she didn't plan their next move carefully they would be caught and he would die, maybe they all would die. She forced herself to think calmly and search the rest of the cathedral.

The Destroyer stood in the pulpit below them, a huge book open in front of him on the lectern. It had to be that Hammer-thing, Buffy thought. She watched as the vampires of the Sect prepared for a ritual. Four metal rings were attached to the floor of the nave where the pews had been torn out. They'd dug a circular depression into the crossing, at the exact midpoint where the transept crossed the nave of the church, directly under the dome. A trough had been dug from the metal rings to the circular depression. Buffy looked up at the dome and realized why it was known as the Dome of Heaven. Half of it had been painted to represent a bright blue sky; the other half was a stylized starry night.

The vampires drew arcane symbols on the floor under the dome in front of the desecrated altar, surrounding the metal rings, trough, and depression. The Destroyer reached down beside the pulpit and picked up the Emerald. He held it reverently over his head, muttering words he read from the book in front of him. He handed the Stone to one of the acolytes who placed it in the depression. Another vampire roughly wiped a cloth back and forth across Giles' chest, soaking up his blood and causing him to twitch and whimper. Buffy clenched her fists and fought to keep from jumping over the railing right then and there. Xander gripped her arm tightly. The vampire held the cloth over the Emerald and wrung it out, letting the blood drip onto the Stone. A sickly green light flared deep in the Emerald and started to pulse slowly. Buffy knew instinctively that if she had any hope of saving Giles that it was time to move.

She turned to Willow and Xander and whispered, "I need the two of you to go down the stairs on Giles' side of the church. You're gonna have to cause a distraction. Can you do that? I have to get the Destroyer or we lose."

Willow said grimly, "We can do it. Don't worry about us."

Xander added, "If we stick together we'll be OK. And we'll cause one hell of a distraction."

Buffy nodded. She looked at Xander seriously and said, "I want you to do something for me. Promise me that you'll get Giles out of here. No matter what else happens. Please? Promise me?"

Xander swallowed and nodded. "You have my word."

Buffy put her hand on Xander's arm. "I'm counting on you Xander. Be careful." She looked at Willow. "Both of you."

"We will."

Buffy unzipped the bag of weapons. She quietly removed and unsheathed a broadsword and lay it aside. She lifted the small box out of the bag and unlocked it. She lifted out a sheathed dagger and strapped it around her waist.

"Buffy! That's the Dagger of the Trismegistus!" Willow whispered, an expression of shock crossing her face. "What are you doing with that?"

Buffy shrugged. "I'm not sure, Will. Something just told me to bring it. That I'd need it. I've learned to listen to those impulses or be really sorry that I didn't. So, here it is."

Xander reached into the bag and pulled out several stakes and a large cross. He passed half the stakes to Willow and stuck the rest through his belt. He lowered the chain of the cross over his head and gave them a feral grin. "Bring 'em on."

Buffy tightly clasped the hand Willow reached out to her. A moment later Xander's hand joined theirs. The three friends gazed at each other silently, putting into their eyes what they wouldn't say aloud. Buffy nodded and they let their hands drop. She watched them silently make their way to the stairs and start down. She crept to the edge of the balcony nearest the demon and gauged the distance to the pulpit. She hefted the broadsword and, at the sound of Xander's battle yell, flipped over the railing to land directly behind the Destroyer.

The demon turned with a roar and lunged at Buffy. She swung the sword in an arc at the creature's middle, causing him to jump back. He ran to the side of the pulpit, lifted a statue of the Virgin from its niche and threw it at her, dodging in the opposite direction as he did so. Buffy flipped forward, away from the flying statue. She landed facing away from her foe and whirled to block his sword thrust. Where in hell had he found that, she wondered? Buffy took a two handed grip on her own sword and fought desperately, parrying and blocking his thrusts, looking for any opportunity to move in for the kill. The demon came at her relentlessly, the force of his blows driving her back and down the chancel steps.

The Destroyer bared his pointed teeth at her. "So, you're the Slayer? Not much to you, is there?"

"Yeah, well, at least I look better than you. Didn't anyone ever tell you that shade of blue doesn't mix with purple? What? Were you really trying for the psychedelic look? Or was that the psycho look?" Buffy desperately blocked a savage thrust and grimaced.

"You think to bother me with your puny words? I am the Destroyer. You will tremble before me!" He roared.

"Yeah. Yeah." Buffy sought to sound nonchalant. "Color me bored. You guys never do come up with anything original, do you?"

"Your Watcher already bows to me. You will do the same," taunted the demon.

"That's a lie! Giles would die before he'd suck up to the likes of you." Buffy was as sure of that as she was of her own name. "If Angelus couldn't break him, you wouldn't have a chance!" She struggled to keep the attack going.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Xander staked his vampire and reached behind him to pull Willow around so that her back was against his. "Will! We've got to stay together. If we get separated we don't stand a chance." He grinned to himself when he heard her grunt. "I'll take that as a 'you bet'."

Several vampires of the Sect surrounded them, but together they managed to hold them off. They'd staked four already. Xander wasn't sure how they were going to manage the rest on their own. At least they were slowly moving closer to where Giles hung from the ceiling.

One of the vamps rushed at Xander with a roar. He was never sure later quite how he managed it, but he threw a stiff left arm into the vamp's face and brought up a stake with his right fist. Another one gone and the path to Giles was clear for the moment. Xander grabbed Willow's wrist and they ran to the Watcher.

"Xander! Can you hold them off?" Willow looked anxiously into Giles' face.

"Not for long," he said. "Hurry, Will."

"I'm sorry Giles," she muttered under her breath. She slapped him across the face several times until he jerked his head back and opened his eyes.

"Willow?" he asked weakly. His gaze flickered to Xander and the vampires and then back to Willow. "Where's Buffy?"

"She's fighting the Destroyer," Willow said. "Can you stand?"

Giles grabbed hold of the chains and pulled himself upright. "I'll try. I don't think I can walk on my own, though."

"Willow! I need your help here!" Xander called over his shoulder.

Willow looked around wildly and picked up a wooden folding chair that was leaning against the wall nearby. She raised it up and crashed it down on the back of the head of the vampire attacking Xander from behind. The vamp lost his hold on Xander and staggered back into Willow's stake.

Xander managed to stake the vampire in front of him. "Thanks, Will."

They retreated until their backs were nearly touching Giles. Xander looked around and frowned. Where had the rest of the Sect gone, he wondered? He exchanged a perplexed look with Willow.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

The sounds of battle raged around her, but Buffy focused only on the demon she faced. He countered each of her attacks and came back fiercely. She realized she was being driven into the crossing and closer to the Emerald with each step she took. Her awareness registered suddenly that the only sounds of battle were the clanging of their swords.

Without stopping or taking her eyes off the Destroyer she called out. "Xander! Willow! What's happening?"

"We got 'em! The Sect are all dust or took off," Xander yelled back. "We're getting Giles down now."

Buffy forced herself not to look in their direction. It required all of her concentration to keep from being skewered. Her fatigue was starting to surface and that worried her. She had to last long enough for them to get Giles out of there.

The Destroyer began muttering under his breath and renewed his attack.

"Buffy!" Willow yelled. "The Emerald! It's starting to pulse faster! And I can see flashes coming from inside it."

Out of the corner of her eye Buffy could see flashes of green lightning. Come on, she thought frantically. You can do this. Giles made sure you trained with the swords so you could handle this stuff. She desperately parried a strong thrust by the demon. You're not as good at it as Giles, but you can get the job done, she thought.

Time suddenly seemed to slow. She could clearly see around her, but everything was weirdly frozen for a split second. In her mind she saw the sword thrust the Destroyer planned to use next. And she almost heard Giles whispering to her, telling her what to do. Time jumped back to normal speed. She blocked the demon's thrust and started a fierce attack of her own.

"Buffy!" Willow called frantically. "You have to destroy the Emerald!"

"Tell me how!"

The demon renewed his attack, driving her toward the crossing and the Stone.

"Remember the Dagger! Stab it into the Stone. Hurry!"

"No!" shouted the demon.

Buffy drew the Dagger from its sheath with her left hand while she continued to parry the demon's attack with the broadsword in her right. She whirled and kicked at the demon's hands, loosening his grip on his sword, which clattered to the ground. She dove away from him and plunged the Dagger into the heart of the Emerald.

Time and space froze and exploded at the same moment into shards of possibilities, as if a mirror had been shattered and the pieces scattered. Each piece reflected different probabilities of reality, different versions of the same picture. For an instant Buffy felt herself part of each of those realities, as if she had the ability to choose from among them. Her world teetered on a precipice until the jagged fragments slowly coalesced back into the reality she knew.

The Destroyer dropped to his knees and howled his frustration. She gripped her broadsword and pivoted, slicing cleanly through his neck. Buffy watched as, in seeming slow motion, the demon's head fell and bounced across the floor. She dropped to her knees and rolled to her side, unconscious but still clutching her sword.


	10. Chapter 10

Giles slowly opened his eyes and blinked. His mind registered the IV drip and the monitoring equipment. A hospital room. For a moment he wondered why he was in hospital this time. A memory of tremendous pain inundated him and he gasped. The Destroyer, the Sect of Septimius and the cat-o'-nine-tails all came flooding back to him. All that and a vague recollection of Xander leaning over him, his face grim.

He pressed his hand to his chest and felt the gauze that wrapped his torso. His upper arms and his wrists were covered with bandages. He suspected a painkiller in his IV since there was no pain, just an uncomfortable feeling.

Giles shifted in the bed and realized that his right hand was resting in something soft. He looked down and his breath caught at the sight of Buffy. She had pulled a chair close to the bed and was asleep with her head resting on her arms, her face turned towards him. His hand was tangled in her hair. Her face was drawn, bruises marred her cheek and he thought he'd never seen anything look as beautiful.

The door opened and a nurse quietly entered the room. She checked the IV and the equipment and then smiled to see Giles awake.

"Mr. Giles," she said quietly. "How good to see you up." She checked his bandages efficiently.

"Thank you," he replied, bemused. He'd never known hospital staff to be quiet when they went about their business.

She looked down at Buffy and smiled. "You've quite a protector in this young lady. She refused to leave your side when they brought you in. Told off the attending physician." Her mouth quirked when she glanced at him. "Endeared herself to the nursing staff when she did that, I can tell you. Man's an excellent doctor, but he's also an ass and about as condescending as they come. I believe the staff would do just about anything she asked, within reason."

Giles smiled. Now that sounded like Buffy, he thought fondly. "How long have I been here?"

"Two days." At his inquiring look she added, "You've been in and out of consciousness, mostly out. It's good to see her sleeping. She's been awake, sitting with you the entire time. Your other visitors have been round to see you several times as well."

She must mean Xander, Willow, and Oz, he thought and hoped that they were all safe. Giles looked closely at Buffy's face and noted the dark circles shadowing the fragile skin under her eyes. What had she endured to rescue him, he wondered? He caught himself easing his fingers through her hair gently and blushed like a schoolboy when he met the nurse's knowing gaze. Must be whatever they're giving me, he thought.

The nurse grinned and turned to the door, only to hold it open to admit Xander. She admonished him to be quiet and left the room.

"Hey Giles," Xander said softly. "How're you feeling?"

Giles smiled. "To be honest, I'm not feeling much of anything. I believe there must a painkiller in my IV."

Xander nodded. "Yeah. The nurses said they gave you something. Willow and Oz'll be up in a minute. They're parking his van." He glanced down at Buffy and smiled. "I see Buffy finally crapped out. We've all been betting on how long she'd manage to stay awake. Willow brought her a change of clothes and then had to argue with her to leave your room long enough to get cleaned up. The nurses let her use the shower in their changing room. And that's more than you really wanted to know, right?"

Giles smiled. "Is everyone all right? How's Oz?"

Xander hesitated a fraction too long with his answer.

"What is it?" Giles asked sharply.

"We're fine. The Sect beat Oz up pretty badly, but he's just got a few bruises left. Guess there's a good side to being a werewolf after all." Xander grinned briefly. He took a deep breath. "The thing is, well, it's about Doyle."

Giles frowned. "What about him. Xander, did something happen to Doyle?"

Xander shook his head. "Not exactly. He was our wheelman when we went after you. He waited with the van and drove us to the hospital. Didn't say anything out of the ordinary. After we got here he gave one of the nurses the keys to the van to give to me while we were all in here with you. He told the nurse to tell us goodbye. We haven't seen him since."

"Well, perhaps he felt he'd done all he could and wanted to get back to Los Angeles," Giles said reasonably.

Xander shoved his hands in his pockets and ducked his head. "That's what we all thought. Until Willow went home and checked her email. She finally had a message from Angel."

"And?"

"And Angel said the guy we met couldn't be Doyle."

"Why is that?" Giles raised his eyebrows.

"Because Doyle's dead. Has been since before Christmas. Angel and Cordelia both saw him die."

"What?" Giles whispered. "But, then who--"

"Good question." Xander shrugged. "We don't know. Angel's gonna put a video clip of Doyle on the web so we can see what he really looks and sounds like. Guess Cordy took some shots of him before he died. Oh, and Angel also says that he's had his version of the _Annales_ this entire time. He's been reading through it trying to find more clues."

"How extraordinary!" Giles lay back on the pillow. His eyes searched the ceiling without focusing. No matter who the man really was who called himself Doyle there was no question that he'd helped them. What possible motive could he have had to use Doyle's name? It should have been obvious to him that it would only be a matter of time before they'd find out the truth.

"That's one way of looking at it." Xander smiled. "By the way, we brought you a change of clothes when we were here earlier. They really did a number on your shirt. And I don't even want to talk about your jeans. Let's just say you won't be seeing those again." Xander shuddered.

"Thank you." Giles tried to push himself up in the bed and required the younger man's help.

The door opened and Willow peeked around the edge. She smiled broadly when she saw Giles. She entered the room with Oz and quietly closed the door. They both looked down at Buffy and then back at Giles.

"Hey," Willow said, her voice low. "Welcome back."

"Thank you, Willow." He looked at each of them in turn. "Thank you all."

Oz shrugged. "I was out of commission at your place. But I'm glad to see you up."

Giles smiled. "Yes. Speaking of getting up, I'd like to go home." He was amused to see the three exchange uncomfortable looks.

"Are you sure you should do that?" Xander asked carefully. "The doctor was pretty hot and bothered about you staying where you are. Something about previous visits and you always leaving early?" He raised his eyebrows.

Giles frowned. "I don't have a concussion this time, do I?"

"Um, no. You don't," Willow said. "Just blood loss and a lot of stitches."

"I've already been here two days, so they've had plenty of time to patch me up." He pursed his lips. "I'd rather convalesce at home, thank you very much."

"But--" Willow's protest was cut off by Buffy sitting up and blinking.

"Hey Giles! You're awake." Buffy gave him a brilliant smile.

"Yes, I am," he replied with a smile of his own. "And I'm ready to go home."

Buffy glanced at the others, looked back at Giles and then nodded. "I know just how you feel. If the nurses say it's okay, then you're out of here. I'll go out and talk to them." She stood up and left the room.

He grinned. After what the nurse had just told him he had no doubt of the outcome of that conversation. "Xander, get my things please. Willow, would you mind stepping outside? I'll need help to dress, I think." He carefully pulled the IV from the back of his hand.

Willow blushed and slipped out the door. Oz helped Giles swing his legs over the side of the bed and sit up. Xander tossed a sweater onto the bed, handed him a pair of jeans and steadied him while he slipped them on. Xander and Oz helped ease him into a standing position. Giles buttoned the jeans and sat down on the bed to pull the sweater over his head. He looked up and caught both men regarding him with strange expressions on their faces. Xander alone he might have brushed off, but the same look from Oz concerned him.

"What?" he asked.

Oz raised an eyebrow and inclined his head at Xander.

"It's about Buffy," Xander said hesitantly.

"What about her?" he asked. He glanced between the two younger men and frowned.

Xander glanced at Oz. "Well, it's just that she's been fighting major exhaustion since our little tiff with the Destroyer. She keeps denying that anything's wrong when we ask her about it. Insists she's just fine." He shrugged. "It's probably nothing. Just normal reaction to everything, but…"

Giles nodded. "Most likely. We'll keep an eye on her for the next few days just to make certain that she's all right. One can't be too careful when dealing with such powerful magic as the Emerald and the Dagger. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."

"Yeah. You're probably right." Relief crossed Xander's face.

Buffy breezed through the door. "Okay. It's all set. The head nurse was willing to sign your release papers as long as we agreed to check on you for the next few days. Oh, and she had to put down that it was against your doctor's advice and that you knew that. Otherwise she said she had to call the doctor. I didn't think you'd want to argue with him about it. Is that all right?"

"Of course. Thank you." Giles studied her for a moment. He could see the exhaustion. Had in fact seen it earlier when he woke up.

"Good. Willow's rounding up an orderly and a wheelchair." She gave him a look that brooked no disobedience on his part. "You have to, Giles. It's like a law around here, you know that." She smiled at him.

The orderly opened the door and flipped down the doorstop. A grinning Willow pushed a wheelchair into the room and over to the bed next to Giles. She gestured to it with a flourish.

"Your carriage, sir," she said formally and then spoiled it with a giggle.

He tried to stand and was surprised by Buffy's hand under his elbow, steadying him. He looked down at her gratefully and allowed her to help him into the waiting chair.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

A few hours later Giles leaned his head back and sighed. He was sitting on his couch, propped up by several pillows that Willow had insisted on placing behind him. The four of them had just finished bringing him up to date on what had happened since he was taken by the Sect.

He glanced over at Buffy. She was perched on the couch facing him with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her arms loosely circled her legs and her cheek rested on the back of the couch. Every once in a while she yawned, though she tried to hide it from him.

Giles turned to the others. "And this thing with Doyle?" The man's whereabouts were a mystery. He frowned as he remembered that Buffy had seemed to sense something about him.

Willow shook her head. "We don't know. I looked at the video Angel posted. It was him, Giles. I'd swear it. Buffy told me she thought something was off about him. Like he wasn't real or something. How did you know?" She looked over at her friend.

"Beats me." Buffy shrugged. "I just kept getting that weird feeling that something wasn't right. Do you think he really was this Doyle guy? How could that be?"

Giles was confused by what he'd just learned and he shook his head. "We may never know, particularly if he never comes back."

"So, what was he? A ghost?" Xander asked. He raised his eyebrows.

"I don't think so," Willow said. She stared off into space, a thoughtful expression on her face. "He was way too solid to be a ghost. He kept mentioning 'The Powers That Be' like they were something real. Do you think..."

They exchanged glances in silence.

"Well, whatever or whoever he was, he helped. That's all that I care about." Xander shrugged.

"Quite." Giles nodded his agreement.

"Yeah. I guess I'll owe him an apology if he does come back." Buffy smiled and fought back another yawn.

"And anyway, it's good to have you back safely." Willow smiled shyly.

"Thank you all for that."

Xander turned to Willow and Oz. "Sounds like that's our cue to get going, huh?"

Willow stood up. "Yeah. Good idea. Giles needs his rest. And Buffy does too. We'll be back to check on you in the morning, okay?"

"Yes. Thank you." Giles glanced at Buffy, reluctant to disturb her. He looked up to catch Xander gazing at him, a speculative expression on his face.

"It's not necessary for you to try to get up," Xander said. "We'll let ourselves out. See you tomorrow."

Willow gave Giles a quick kiss on the cheek and blushed. "I'm glad you're all right."

He smiled fondly at her. "I'll see you all tomorrow."

The corners of Oz's mouth turned up and he raised a hand in farewell.

Giles lifted a hand in response. He sighed when the front door shut behind them. He heard a key turn in the lock and smiled to himself. They weren't taking any chances were they, he thought. Buffy shifted slightly on the couch and his gaze strayed to her face. She'd closed her eyes and appeared to have fallen asleep.

It had meant more to him than he could express to find her by his hospital bed when he'd awoken. The relief he'd felt in knowing immediately that she was safe was nearly overshadowed by the knowledge of her care for him. He'd been deeply touched that she would be so concerned about his feelings to insist on remaining by his side.

A yawn caught him unawares. He really ought to get up and leave the couch to Buffy, he thought. But his limbs were leaden and his eyelids drooped. Perhaps just a small nap, he thought before closing his eyes. There were still matters to discuss, but they could wait for tomorrow. He smiled to himself; content to drift into a dreamless sleep knowing that they'd saved the world once again and that everyone he cared about was safe.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Giles woke early the next morning. He was still sitting up on his couch and he felt oddly content. He gazed down at the golden head resting on his thigh. Buffy had started out sitting on the couch next to him, but sometime after he'd fallen asleep she must have stretched out with her head where it currently rested. She was still sound asleep. He smiled to himself at the thought that she'd obviously slept through the night without a nightmare.

Now that he was more fully awake he began to feel slightly uncomfortable. He needed to get up, but was reluctant to disturb Buffy. He shifted his weight slightly, trying to ease his growing distress.

Buffy yawned and brought a hand up to rub her face. She touched his thigh lightly and pushed herself up, turning to look at him. She met his gaze and smiled.

"Hey," she said, and yawned again.

"Good morning. I'm sorry if I woke you."

She shook her head. "That's okay. Is it morning already?"

He chuckled. "Yes, it is. Did you sleep well?"

Her eyes went wide. "Yeah. I did, actually. No nightmares."

Giles nodded. "No nightmares. I'd say that's a very good sign."

"Uh-huh." She looked at him curiously. "You need to get up, don't you?"

Giles blushed lightly and nodded. He was stiff from sitting up all night and sore from his wounds. He felt twinges of pain when he tried to move on his own.

"Here. Let me help." Buffy stood in front of him and took both of his hands. She pulled gently until he stood in front of her. "Why don't you put a hand on my shoulder? That way you can control how much help you get."

He smiled. "Very considerate. I believe my first stop needs to be the bathroom."

They made slow progress to the bathroom door. Giles took a grip on the doorjamb and said firmly, "I believe I can take it from here."

Buffy shrugged and looked up at him with a twinkle in her eye. "Okay. But if I hear a loud crash in there I'm coming in, so be careful."

"I'll remember that," he said dryly and shut the door.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Sometime later he opened the door to find her waiting for him. She helped him back to the couch where he was surprised to find a pot of tea and two mugs waiting. He raised an eyebrow and looked at her inquiringly.

"Well, I had to do something to keep busy while I waited for you, didn't I?" She smiled shyly. "I thought you might like to have some tea."

"Thank you, Buffy. That was very thoughtful of you." Tea usually meant talking, he thought.

Buffy poured the tea and handed him a mug. She sipped her tea for a few moments before looking at him out of the corner of her eye. "Um, Giles, I need to tell you something."

He smiled behind his mug. "And what is that?"

"It's about Brian Callahan." She worried at her bottom lip with her teeth. "I kinda need to apologize to you in advance. I'm afraid you're not going to like this."

He frowned. "I'm afraid I'm the one who should apologize. I truly lost my temper at the man. And I didn't go out of my way to straighten out his misconceptions."

"About those misconceptions," she said nervously. "You see, it's like this. Willow went through my overnight bag looking for aspirin for Oz and forgot to put everything back. Brian sort of saw my clothes all over your bedroom and pretty much decided that we were both lying to him about our 'relationship'. I got the feeling he wasn't about to keep quiet about what he thinks either. I'm really sorry. I just thought you'd want to know before you were embarrassed by someone or overheard something." She looked down at her hands.

Giles bit back a smile. "Buffy," he said gently. "I appreciate your concern, but it's not necessary. You didn't do anything wrong. And there's nothing he can say that would embarrass me. If he's foolish enough to try to spread malicious gossip, well, let's just hope for his sake that he's not. I only hope that you won't be embarrassed."

She shook her head. "Don't see how." She smiled at him.

"Good. But you will tell me if something does happen that upsets you, won't you?" He searched her face and was reassured when she nodded.

Her face turned solemn. "Giles. Next time when you want to come with me and I tell you I want you to stay here where it's safe? Remind me that you're safer when you're with me?"

He chuckled. "You have my word."

"I'm so sorry--"

"Stop," he said firmly. "I don't want you to apologize. You don't have anything to apologize for. You had to find Oz. And you couldn't know that that prat would show up and I'd lose my temper and step outside. If I had kept my head I would have just shut the door in his face. So you see, it wasn't your fault."

"But I--"

"No 'buts'." He smiled. "Besides. I knew it was only a matter of time before you'd show up and get me out of there."

She sighed. "I just wish it could've been sooner."

He nodded. "I know. But the important thing is you did get there. And you kept your head. I must say I'm proud of you."

She ducked her head. "It was a team effort."

"It always is with us," he said wryly. "Nevertheless, I am proud of how you handled the situation. You didn't charge in rashly. It shows a maturity in your planning."

"It was one of the hardest things I've ever done." A faraway look came into her eyes. "When we saw you hanging there I wanted to jump over the railing and start hacking away. I just knew I couldn't do that or I'd get us all killed."

He nodded approvingly. "As I said, you kept your wits about you."

She turned to him. "Thank you."

The doorbell rang. Buffy opened the front door to Xander, Willow, and Oz standing on the front steps. Willow held a large box that smelled as if it had come fresh from the donut shop.

"Hey! We brought breakfast." Willow smiled as they trooped in.

Xander headed for the kitchen. "I'll make some coffee. I can't believe you're awake this early and you haven't made any."

Willow followed him and brought back plates for everyone.

"Coffee's ready," Xander said as he walked back to the living room with a mug. He chose a glazed donut and sat down at Giles desk.

"Hope you don't mind us coming over so early," Willow said. "None of us could sleep, so we thought you'd both probably be up, too. Oz thought of the donuts."

"Thank you, Oz." Buffy smiled.

Oz nodded. They relaxed and ate their donuts in contentment.

"Gotta tell you guys," Buffy said. "It feels good not to have some great unknown evil hanging over our heads. Maybe we can even relax for what's left of the Break."

"That'd be nice," Willow agreed. "What're the odds of the Hellmouth cooperating?"

"Giles, I have to ask you something," Xander said. He leaned forward in his chair and clasped his hands.

"What's that?"

"Well, you said the Destroyer was the 'left hand of the Trismegistus'?"

"Yes."

"And that the Destroyer gave gifts to his left hand and to his right?"

"That's correct." What was he getting at, Giles wondered?

"Does that mean that there's another demon out there somewhere with special powers that was the right hand of the Trismegistus? And will we have to face him any time soon?"

"Bloody hell!"


End file.
